James "Jim" Paul Keener
1946 ~ 2026
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James (Jim) Paul Keener, 79, of Salt Lake City, Utah, passed away under hospice care on April 29, 2026. He was a beloved spouse, father, and grandfather, a gifted and methodical teacher and mentor, and a devoted friend. He will be sorely missed.
Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on November 11, 1946, Jim spent his early life on a farm with his parents, Helen and Paul, and little sister, Kathy. On his 11th birthday, his parents forced him to move to Tampa, Florida. There, he attended and graduated high school, met a beautiful girl named Kris. They married on June 29, 1968.
Jim earned his B.S. in Mathematics at Case Western Reserve and his Ph.D. in 1972 from CalTech (California Institute of Technology). Jim spent his career at the University of Utah in a mathematical biology group. Professionally, he was a pioneer and internationally renowned in the field of mathematical physiology, studying the math of biological functions of the body. Over the course of his career, Jim mentored 31 PhD students through their Doctoral Dissertation and Defense. He also published over 90 publications as well as 3 books.
But, few things brought Jim more joy than a conversation with a student wrestling with a difficult problem. He poured himself into the mentorship of PhD and applied mathematics students alike, and the impact of his investment followed them long after their studies ended. Jim kept in touch with many of those he mentored throughout their professional lives, a testament to how genuinely he cared — not just about their work, but about the people they were becoming.
Through his entire life, Jim was a committed Christian, taking active teaching and leading roles in various parts of church life. He is well remembered for the deep, lasting relationships he forged with those he taught through his long-standing Sunday School class and the publication of a book based on the life of David. He invested personally in each person who sat under his teaching, and many grew not only in their faith but in a close bond with Jim himself because of the time and care he poured into them.
If you knew Jim, you knew he loved to be outside and a good day was any day he could be in the mountains. And there was never any bad weather, except maybe rain. Throughout his life, he was very active: fishing, hiking, skiing, biking, playing squash, walking. His favorite spot was a little cabin in Big Cottonwood canyon. These pursuits were made richer by the people who joined him. Jim loved sharing the outdoors with friends and family and was a natural mentor in these settings, as generous with his knowledge of a good trail as he was with anything else.
Jim lived a full life, especially in his last years, despite on-going cancer and cancer-related treatments. No matter what disease took from him, he was able to find new ways to fill his life with the outdoors, creativity, rigorous research, and community. Until the very end, he maintained a fierce will to fight disease and a thankful and graceful spirit.
Jim is survived by his wife of 58 years, Kristine; his kids Sammy (Eric) Beuker of Grand Rapids, Michigan and Jay (Leslie) Keener of Summit Park, Utah, and his 6 grandkids Josh, Kai, Niko, Mali, June, and Kilian, all of whom he was exceptionally proud.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Helen (Gibble) Keener and sister, Kathy Payette. Their family reunion was 35 years in the making.
Services for Jim will be on Saturday, May 9 at Larkin Sunset Lawn (2350 E. 1300 S, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108). Visitation with the family will be from 9:30-10:45. The Celebration of Jim’s life will take place at 11 with a graveside service for family and close friends immediately following. But because this is a celebration of a life well lived, there will be a time for mingling and story sharing outside after the service. Because Jim would hate that we are all inside on a Saturday, guests are encouraged to dress for a hike and then go on one to celebrate him in the Creation that he loved.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jim’s honor to Discovery Institute, with whom Jim was working to bring scientific accuracy to the Intelligent Design movement. Gifts can be made at discovery.org/id/donate in honor of Jim Keener.
Guestbook/Condolences
Dear Kristine, Jay, Sammy, and other family members,
I want to offer you my most sincere condolences on your loss. I was a student of Jim's from 1996-2001 and have kept in touch with him since then although regretfully not as well since the pandemic when I would often see him over zoom at seminars. Jim had a profound influence on me both professionally and personally. He was a great teacher, mentor, and friend. I have many good memories of time spent with him at work, biking, skiing, and even a memorable backpacking trip to southern Utah. His passion for all things that he engaged in was contagious and still inspires my interactions with my own students today. I am sad that he is gone and will truly miss him.
Sincerely,
Eric Cytrynbaum
- Eric Cytrynbaum
I am sorry for your loss. Jim was a dear friend. We played squash together almost daily for several years at Squashworks until injury prevented him from further playing. I will always cherish the time we spent together.
Hopefully he is getting his fill of squash, mountain biking and powder skiing now. Please accept my sincere condolences.
- Jeff Washburn
Please accept my sincerest condolences. Mark Alber, University of California, Riverside.
- Mark Alber
We will not be able to attend the service for Jim. We wanted you to know how much we appreciate Jim and his words of encouragement. As we reach maturity we look forward to seeing our Lord. Bill and I will be praying for the family.
- Bill and Nannette Lowe
I send my sincerest sympathy and condolences. I first met Jim when he visited Oxford and I was a graduate student. He helped me solve a problem in my thesis I had been stuck on for months. This was typical of him, always very helpful and truly brilliant. He will live on forever in our memories and in our mathematics.
- Philip Maini
Dear Kristine and family,
I first met Professor Keener and you - his lovely, lovely wife, in the Fall of 1975 when I took Linear Algebra and the next semester, O.D.E.s from Professor Keener. I was an 18 yo sophomore maths major at the University of Arizona. Jim's first faculty appointment after which he moved to the University of Utah. Ever positive, Professor Keener fanned the flames of my passion for mathematics and was one of three individuals (and the most important) who encouraged me to pursue a PhD even at that early age. He and you treated me as a son, encouraging me, attending UofA swim meets (I was a scholarship competitive swimmer on UofA's NCAA team) and most importantly, inviting me to special - home cooked - dinners. I have not forgotten your impactful kindness.
I met Jim many times since, often on a math hike or ski. I have many stories and told several at a heartfelt lecture at UofUtah one day after his passing. Though emotional, I felt a profound joy sharing with his Utah community, old stories of hikes, skis and other adventures with Jim's ever happy demeanor buoying all. Those memories brought tears of gratitude and laughter at the memories.
At first, my selfish regret was that Jim was not in the audience. I longed to see those piercing, kind eyes, hear those challenging and insightful questions, and shake his hand and give a big genuine hug. But during the lecture, it came to me that Jim was there, through his ever thoughtful mentoring, careful collaborations, and adventurous and encouraging ways. He was helping me lecture, had infused the math community with the importance and joy of mathematics, and had lifted all of our Hearts through his example.
R.I.P. James P. Keener, PhD, Emeritus Professor and Internationally respected Applied Mathematician
- Peter J. Tonellato, mentee +50 years
Jim was never a formal mentor to me, but a talk he gave at NYU in 1986 helped confirm me on the path of mathematical biology, and he was very supportive and encouraging in the years after that when I wasn't very sure of where the path was leading. His books were inspiring and practical guides to me on many topics. The last time I saw him in person was at a meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, where I made the washing machine in my hotel room available to him after he had checked out of his own. The wash left rocks and mud in the machine, a testament to his intense dive into nature during the trip.
- Artie Sherman