Bob Kean, decorated World War II pilot and water company president, dies at 98

Robert W. Kean, Jr., the brother of former Gov. Thomas H. Kean, died on January 16.  He was 98.

A decorated World War II pilot, Kean served as president, chairman and CEO of Elizabethtown Water Company from 1949 until his retirement in 1997.

The Livingston native and Princeton University graduate also served on numerous corporate and civic boards, including New Jersey Blue Cross and Blue Shield, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company, and United Water Resources.  He was a trustee of the New Jersey Audubon Society.

Kean served as a first lieutenant in the 99th Infantry Division and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross during the Battle of the Bulge.

While in Belgium on December 17, 1944, Kean discovered that the German Army was on the verge of taking a landing strip where his fellow American soldiers were on the ground, Kean observed an enemy tank firing on his plane.

The 22-year-old soldier avoided capture by the Germans by flying the plane out of the area while under heavy fire.

Kean flew into his 90s, his obituary said.

After the war, Kean headed a fundraising drive to expand the reach of the Voice of Radio Free Europe.

He was one of many sons of U.S. Congressman who served on active military duty during World War II.  His father, Robert W. Kean (R-Livingston), served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1939 to 1959.

Hamilton F. Kean, his grandfather, represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1929 to 1935.

In addition to his brother, Kean is survived by his wife, Katherine, five sons, eight grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, two stepsons, three step-granddaughters, two sisters and many nieces and nephews, including New Jersey Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr.