Keith F Kinghorn

Our husband, father, and grandfather passed away peacefully on the morning of July 27. Keith was born on February 29, 1940, to Wilmer Clarence Kinghorn and Edith Fairchild in Rigby, Idaho. He would be the third of seven children, one of four sons and three daughters. People who met Keith and learned his birthday rarely forgot it, and he loved being a leap year baby. He had his “ninth” birthday the same year as his second son and then had his “thirteenth” the same year as his youngest daughter. He celebrated all the way up to his “21st” birthday.

He graduated from Rigby High in 1958 and worked to put himself through college. His first two years were at Ricks College. During his first year there, he met Elizabeth “Betty” Shaw through a mutual friend. After completing his time at Ricks, he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in what was then West Germany for two and a half years. Upon his return, he enrolled at Brigham Young University. Betty was attending also, and they were able to pick up their courtship. They were married in the Idaho Falls temple in June of 1964.

After graduation, Keith received an employment opportunity that led him and Betty to Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the 18 years they lived there, they had all seven of their children. His work later took the family to Atlanta, Georgia, in the summer of 1983 and then moved again in the summer of 1990 to Salt Lake City, Utah. During those and subsequent years, he had multiple children serve missions, get married, and bring grandchildren into the family. When the first of these grandkids was born in 1989, he chose to be called Granddad and was known as such by all 27 of them, as well as his seven great-grandchildren.

Keith was fortunate to have steady employment throughout his life and drew much pride from his different work experiences. This began in his youth with helping his father do many things but most notably raising bees. His employers included Peat Marwick, Galbraith & Greene, James Benefits, and Alta Health Strategies. He was able to run his own business, Davis Benefits, with his eldest son for many years. He valued his ability to do his job well and to make many lifelong connections.

While he worked hard, he found enjoyment in other activities. He learned to fly fish from his dad and spent lots of hours both on the water and making fly rods. He and Betty had many chances to travel, visiting such places as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Europe, Japan, Peru, and New Zealand. Two of his biggest accomplishments were visiting all 50 states and six continents in his lifetime. Due to proximity to a wonderful lake in Georgia, the family bought a ski boat and enjoyed hours of fun. Keith loved the beautiful Utah snow and snow skied for years as well. His voracious reading covered countless topics and authors.

Another important aspect of Keith’s life was his choice to serve in a variety of roles in his church. He devoted a great deal of time and energy to various callings during his adult life. Keith was called to serve as mission president in 2002, and he and Betty were assigned to the Philippines Olongapo mission. In 2009, they chose to serve another mission and were called to serve in Betty’s former mission, Palmyra, New York, working at the historic sites.

Keith is preceded in death by his granddaughter Katie and is survived by his wife, Betty, and their children - Bret (Maureen), Kelly (Leesa), Alan (Jennifer), Jan, Tamara, Marie (Roy), and Lisa (Dan). He is also survived by his 26 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Humanitarian Fund through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

To view a recording of Keith's funeral service, please click on the blue tab above that says "Watch Services".