Garrison Keillor's brother dies after ice skating accident

(AP) - John Philip Keillor Jr. of Madison, the older brother of Minnesota humorist Garrison Keillor, has died after suffering injuries in a fall while ice skating with a grandchild.

Keillor, 71, known as Phil, died Friday from injuries suffered Feb. 15 when he fell backward and hit his head, his family said.

Ann-Britt Keillor, his wife of 49 years, said her husband was a lifelong ice skater.

"He's a man who wouldn't have biked a block without a helmet, but for those of us who grew up in the Midwest, you don't even think about wearing a helmet ice skating," she told the Wisconsin State Journal. "This was a fluke, unfortunately."

Keillor, who was born in Anoka, Minn., earned a master's degree in ocean engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1973 and spent most of his career at the Sea Grant Institute, which specializes in studying the Great Lakes. He retired in 2003.

After a severe winter in which three homeless men died from exposure, Keillor joined others in the mid-1980s and started a homeless shelter in Madison.

It later became Porchlight Inc. He served as a board member for more than 20 years and was a regular volunteer on the late shift at the shelter, his family said.

Besides his widow, other survivors include a son, two daughters, seven grandchildren, his mother, two sisters and three brothers, including Garrison Keillor, the host of the popular public radio show A Prairie Home Companion.

Keillor's memorial service is at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Arbor Covenant Church in Madison.

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Information from: Wisconsin State Journal, http://www.madison.com

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)