June 14, 1930 - December 4, 2013
W. Fraser Keith of Burnsville and Mesa, AZ, passed away on Dec. 4th from a brain injury. Fraser was 83 years old, born on 6/13/30 in Rochester, MN. he was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Haddow M. Keith and Maude Marian Fraser Keith; stepmother, Dr. Katherine Roberts Keith; and stepdaughter, Cari Sears. He is survived by wife, Bevelyn Gervais Keith; daughters, Marianna Padilla (Virgil Delegard), Marilyn Jacobson, Margie Keith, Marnie Keith; stepdaughters, Debra Harper and Deonne Harper Wilkins; and sister, Allison Whitney (Dr. Thomas); 10 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He attended Wesleyan College (CONN) and graduated from the U of MN with a math major. Numbers were a natural for him and he used his natural talents throughout his career. As a young father, Fraser worked many years for Gambles Hardware in the Midwest. While living in the Minnetonka area, he worked at The E.J. Longyear Co. and completed his career at GNB in St. Paul. He served many years on the board at his building co-op and was an active member of the Men's Club in Mesa.
Memorials can be given to Arbor Day Foundation and Brain Trauma Foundation.
Dear Bev, Marianna, Marilyn, Margie, Marnie and all your families,
Solange, Alex, Pierre and I were deeply saddened to learn of Fraser’s passing and extend our sincerest condolences to all of you. The four of us will never forget the wonderful day we spent with Fraser and Bev in Phoenix in 2005 and I will never forget Fraser, Marilyn, Margie and Marnie’s visit to Montreal in 1968. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and we wish you all the love, strength and support you need during this difficult time.
Love,
Ian Fraser (Calgary, Canada)
Ian,
On behalf of our family, I thank you for your kind words about our dad. My sister and I were very young when we made that trip to Montreal, but our memories are strong. I recall the story from Dad of you visiting in Phoenix, he enjoyed it. Dad was suffering from a bit of dementia these last couple of years and we’re looking at his 2 falls as a good thing – even tho he’s gone, he doesn’t have to suffer for years with losing his memory. He fell on Sunday, Oct 13 and then again Tues Oct 15. The fall on Tues was not good and Bev could not get a response from him. Paramedics came, brought him to the hospital and they found heart defib problems. A pace maker was put in and he was good for 7-10 days, then lost more and more cognitive abilities. Margie and I were with him when he passed, that day will forever be etched in my memory. Thanks again for your kind words and prayers. We all know that this Christmas will be difficult and lonely without him. Bev is going to Phoenix the day after Christmas, I hope she’ll be OK there. Take care, Marilyn