Jim (James Holland) Keaten of Rome, Georgia, died on Aug. 5, 2026, at the age of 86. He is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 60 years, Helen Harbin Keaten, by his loving children and children-in-law, Jamey Keaten and Elisabeth Chauvin; Caeder and Patricia Ghegan Keaten; and Winn Keaten and Seamus Mitchell, and by his treasured grandchildren Harry Keaten, Lila Keaten, Max Keaten, Louis Keaten, Annabel Keaten, Owen Mitchell, Theo Mitchell and Maeve Mitchell.
Jim was predeceased by his parents, Clarence Aubrey Keaten and Nettie Winn Keaten, and by his brother, the Reverend Robert Winn Keaten. He is survived by his dear cousin and almost-sibling, the Reverend Julie Winn Huston of Atlanta.
Jim was born on May 10, 1940, in Atlanta. He attended E.L. Connally Elementary School and Brown High School in West End, Atlanta. He was awarded a scholarship to Yale University, where he majored in Economics and graduated magna cum laude, winning the Dickerman Prize in Economics. He then attended Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1965. He joined the Atlanta law firm Powell, Goldstein, Frazer and Murphy (now Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner), where he became a partner in 1970. Jim specialized in the practice of commercial real estate law and was listed in The Best Lawyers in America. In 1996, he joined the firm Troutman Sanders LLP (now Troutman Pepper Locke) in Atlanta, where he served as chair of the real estate finance practice group and managing partner of the firm’s London office from 2001 to 2003.
Jim was a member of the Georgia Army National Guard from 1965 to 1971, rising to the rank of captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
In Atlanta, Jim and Helen were members of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, where Jim served as a member of the Vestry, as Senior Warden, Junior Warden, chair of the Outreach Committee and a member of the choir. He also served on the board of directors at The Galloway School.
Upon his retirement from law practice in 2005, Jim and Helen moved to Rome, Georgia, Helen’s hometown. He and Helen were (and Helen still is) devoted members of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, where they were married in 1966. At St. Peter’s, Jim served on the Vestry, on the Discernment Committee, on the Search Committee and as an enthusiastic member of the choir. Also in Rome, Jim served as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority, as a member of the Board and chair of the South Rome Redevelopment Corporation, as a member of the Board and President of the Rome International Film Festival and as a mentor in the Berry College Integrity in Leadership program.
Jim was blessed with an abundant life. His greatest joys were his relationships with his family and his many friends. In a letter to his grandchildren in 2020, Jim quoted Polonius from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “This above all: to thine own self be true.” He cited the importance of compassion, justice, humility and integrity, among other things.
The family will hold a private burial at Myrtle Hill Cemetery. A memorial service for Jim will be held at a later date at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Rome. Contributions to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 101 East Fourth Avenue, Rome, Georgia 30161, will be appreciated.
Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, North Chapel and Crematory, is honored to serve the family of Mr. Jim Keaten.
