Lester Joseph Keyser

Lester Joseph Keyser, 81, died at home in Sea Girt, New Jersey on March 3, 2025.

Les was born on April 7, 1943, the son of Lester and Catherine Keyser. He grew up in Philadelphia where he attended Cardinal Dougherty High School and developed close friendships that would last for the rest of his life. Les received his undergraduate degree in English from La Salle College, where he shone on the debate team and honed the rhetorical skills he would later use to great effect both at the dinner table and in the classroom.

Les went on to pursue his Ph.D. in English Literature at Tulane University in New Orleans. It is there that he met his wife and soulmate Barbara. They married at City Hall in 1968. Though his dissertation was on the British Romantics, Les was a lifelong movie lover and launched a popular film series at Tulane. After Les received his doctorate, he and Barbara moved to New York where he earned his MA in Cinema Studies from New York University. During his decades as a professor at the College of Staten Island, Les introduced innumerable students to the art of the movies. He also wrote several books, including Hollywood in the Seventies, Hollywood and the Catholic Church, as well as biographies of Sidney Poitier and Martin Scorsese.

After his daughter Catherine was born, Les recalled the joyful summers he spent at the Jersey Shore during his childhood, and the family moved to Sea Girt. An engaging and enthusiastic teacher, Les volunteered at the Sea Girt Library for several years before the progression of multiple sclerosis prevented him from continuing. He particularly enjoyed discussing A Christmas Carol with library patrons during the holiday season.

During the final years of his life, which were shaped by his disability, with Barbara as his full-time caregiver, Les continued to be the heart of his family and the kindest of friends. He cared deeply about contemporary politics and social justice and stayed abreast of film and television.

Les will be forever remembered by his wife, Barbara; his daughter Catherine and her husband Paul Famolari; his granddaughter Sophia Famolari; his sister Maggie McCans and her husband John McCans; as well as cousins, nieces, nephews, and many dear friends.

Following Les’s wishes, there will not be a funeral service. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the ACLU (https://action.aclu.org/give/now) or to the VNA Health Group, whose hospice services eased the final weeks of his life (https://vnahg.org/memorial-gifts-and-gifts-in-honor/). - Direct links to donate are located below.

Services are entrusted to Jersey Shore Cremation, 43 Taylor Avenue, Manasquan, NJ.