Adria Keuning

On August 19, 2024, Adria Lynn Keuning, née Zilonis, transitioned from this world surrounded by family and many friends from all stages of her life following a recent rapid decline from cancer-related liver failure.

Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts – the only child of Richard “Zeke” Zilonis and Linda Anne Zilonis, née Larson – Adria spent her time laughing, loving, and dancing her way through grade school and high school. She loved skating at the Wal-Lex roller rink, and on weekend nights, you could find her cruising around town, radio cranked, singing along to her favorite tunes, which always included Paula Abdul, Salt n Peppa, and ABBA. And when the wheels weren't rolling past “The Pit” in Harvard Square, she was hosting her friends at home, which was forever the gathering place for a sure-fun time. 

After graduating from Cambridge Rindge & Latin School in 1988, Adria enrolled at Merrimack College, where she studied English and Education. Graduating from Merrimack in 1992, she moved that summer to Nashville, where her mother had relocated for work. 

And so, a Northerner would become a Southerner, embracing every new experience as if it was a gift to open on Christmas morning. Within a few weeks, Adria found her best gift when she met Matt Keuning while tending bar at a local billiard parlor. Two years later, on September 3, 1994, Adria and Matt were married by the pastor of a church that Linda had been attending – St. Paul Southern Methodist. By the following year, Adria had become a Christian, and she and Matt joined the congregation.

Adria’s love for Jesus would shape the rest of her life. Beyond serving her church, she taught and led for many years in the international interdenominational Bible Study Fellowship. She made two mission trips to Ukraine in the late 1990s, and since 2010, worked in human resources for the evangelistic Gideons International organization.

Adria’s professional career also encompassed Dialysis Clinics, Inc., Eddie Bauer, Jared Jewelry and Southeastern Career College. For the past decade, she moonlighted each fall as seating coordinator for the annual Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala at the Music City Center. 

Adria’s love for her husband and commitment to their life together was an inspiration. Their beautiful home was always open to family and friends, as well as their beloved fur babies: rabbits Peanut, Piglet and Tipper, flying squirrels Cocoa & Oscar, cat Toby, pups Jola, Ruthie and Cannoli. 

Adria’s gorgeous smile and joyful energy brought life to every room she entered. She knew how to connect with people; she made them feel safe to share their deepest fears and their biggest triumphs. 

Whether kickboxing, running 5K mini marathons, tasting new cuisine, road tripping, or simply relaxing in her back yard among vibrantly colored Zinnias and a menagerie of well-fed songbirds, Adria loved life and relished the beauty of it all.

Though she is, and will always be, missed dearly, those whose lives she touched will forever carry the sparkle of her beautiful soul.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 21, at 11:00 a.m. at Green Hills Community Church (5035 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37215 – formerly St. Paul Community Church).

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Gideons International, Alive Hospice, or Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue.