In Memoriam: Keelan O’Neil

Liberty student Keelan O’Neal Banner passed away Saturday, March 6, 2021. 

Banner was 21 years old and in his junior year at Liberty University, studying business and human resources. He hailed from Thomasville, North Carolina and is survived by his parents and older brother, Cates McCall Banner. 

The avid outdoorsman is remembered as a kind, joyful and curious friend. Banner had an infectious smile and an inquisitive mind. His friends recall his many questions and his deep interest in the world around and above him. 

“Loving Keelan was the honor of anyone who was privileged to share a slice of life with him,” wrote Banner’s aunt in his local paper’s obituary. “So in all of our tomorrows when the desire for a connection to him seems impossible, step outside into the evening air and lift your gaze to the sky.”

She continued, “an avid hunter & fisherman, Keelan was his truest self when he was in his outdoor sanctuary, sitting in a duck blind filled with generations of Banners.  He found the most joy in the simplicities of life, which is a direct reflection of his spirit.  He required nothing more than the sun on his face, the breeze on his skin & the crackle of an open fire in the company of his friends and family (which when it came to Keelan, there wasn’t much distinction between the two).”

His friends and family are comforted by the night sky and the stars that shine above them as they remember Keelan’s own words, “I can feel God the most through space when I look up to the stars.”

Banner was honored in a Wednesday Convocation, where his mother and younger brother were presented with flowers from Carol Prevo and an honorary diploma for Keelan. A memorial was held last week with close friends and family. 

The Student Government Association has plans to honor Keelan by painting a parking spot and putting a plaque in Commons 3, an initiative his closest friends are partnering with SGA on.