Keith Douglas Ohlendorf
Keith Ohlendorf faced a challenge from birth to make a spot in an extraordinarily accomplished family -- with extraordinarily gifted parents -- and met it from the start with an irresistibly impish grin and sense of innocent mischief. And so it was that by age 2, Keith was sitting in grandmother Do's car, alternately locking and unlocking doors to frustrate her as she rushed from side to side trying to get in. It was harmless. It was cute. And it was the fun-loving nature of Keith that his loved ones would know so well for almost 25 years thereafter.
For Keith, everyone was a loved one. Virtually everybody he met found cause to remember him. Virtually everybody who remembered him loved him. He gave them no reason to feel any other way. He was kind, forthright, honest and caring. Blessed with inexhaustible energy, he drew an infinite array of people into a web of friendship and mutual support that will serve them a lifetime, as Keith looks down to enjoy the gift he gave them.
"Enjoy" was always a key word in Keith's life. And, oh, how his family enjoyed him. For Gus and Do Ohlendorf, he was a cherished only grandchild. For Reba and Anita Earhart, he was a companion through summer after summer at their home down in Collinsville, Ill. He was a guaranteed good time for cousins Heather and Shannon and Christopher, a soul mate for the equally-impish namesake, Uncle Keith, and an intellectual joy for Aunt Karen, the teacher. When a limping Keith arrived in a high school class one day, a future friend, Brian Bender, inquired what happened. "I fell in a hole chasing a turkey," Keith explained. "I knew right then this was someone I had to get to know; he sounded like a lot of fun." Brian recalled three days ago when a score of Keith's closest friends sat together for solace and remembrance. They laughed, knowing for absolute certain that the spirit of Keith was there in his parents' living room, laughing right along.
By Pat Gauen (Keith's Uncle)
