The New Canaan Town Council held a moment of silence Wednesday evening to honor Keith Richey, a devoted civic leader and longtime volunteer who died this week. A resident of New Canaan since 1991, Richey raised two children in town and served in numerous leadership roles across civic and service organizations. He was best known for his 21-year tenure as Chairman of the Parking Commission and also served on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Richey was president of the Poinsettia Club and one of four men instrumental in opening its membership to women. From 2020 to 2021, he led the New Canaan Men’s Club through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Richey joined the New Canaan Exchange Club in 1992, serving as Program Chair and later President. In his biography for the Republican Town Committee, he recalled handing out flags on Memorial Day, serving drinks at Waveny Park during the Family Fourth, and helping to sell Christmas trees in Kiwanis Park to raise funds for child abuse prevention and other community causes. Richey was a 30-year member of the Gridiron Club, contributing both as a writer and performer, and he and his wife were active in the New Canaan Dance Club, where he served as Treasurer and President. He also organized the annual Rich-Mich Softball Game for 25 years, a summer tradition in the community.
Professionally, Richey had a distinguished career in international tax law, retiring in 2018. He held a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, and an LLM in Tax Law from New York University. His career included positions at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Exxon, Mobil, Citibank, Xerox, ITT, and Xylem Inc., where he ultimately oversaw international tax planning. Though a lifelong Republican, Richey described himself as an independent thinker. Above all, he emphasized that giving back to the community was of central importance to him—a principle that guided his decades of dedicated service to New Canaan.
