Keith's parents, Ervin Arthur Larson and Sylvia Eleanor Soloway met on VJ Day in 1945 in Boston, Massachusetts when his dad was in the Navy. They were married 3 months later. They had a son, Keith Ervin Larson, born on March 1st, 1947 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Keith's dad got his degree after leaving the military and took a job at Proctor and Gamble. His work took him to Iowa where they bought a home on 1209 Diana Street in Iowa City. Keith always spoke very fondly of where he grew up and said his favorite thing to do was play baseball. Said he played every chance he got which was almost everyday. He didn't like the winter months much because he couldn’t play baseball! Five years later, in 1952, his sister Karen was born.

Keith attended Mark Twain Elementary School and graduated from Iowa City High School in 1965. He attended the University of Iowa for 2 years where he studied accounting. He enlisted in the U.S. military (Army) in October of 1967 where he earned the National Defense Service medal, Army Commendation medal, Vietnam Service medal and Vietnam Campaign medal. Keith graduated from Radio Teletype School, becoming a skilled radio operator. He received an honorable discharge in July of 1969.

Keith traveled around the country after leaving the service, staying in California for a time with some friends. He made his way to Houston, Texas sometime between 1970 and 1972, after finding The Lord, and wound up working for a roofing company where my father, Charles Gillespie, was a union representative and job foreman. My dad gave him one of his first jobs in Houston! He attended several churches where he wasn't just content to sit on a pew. He served the Lord by playing the guitar, harmonica and driving the church van. Eventually, he went to school to learn the machinist trade and for over 30 years, that's how he earned his living. He worked for such companies as Crane Energy, National Oilwell Vargo, Cameron Rig Solutions and Dril-Quip. Yes, he was THAT good. I was so proud of him. He loved cutting steel.

I met Keith in August of 1996. He swept me off my feet and we were married July 26, 1997. I was madly in love. We moved into our home in Humble where we remained for twenty years (and where I still live). He helped me to raise my daughter, Quintana and she became His daughter. He was the best husband, father and provider. We were on one long courtship where we went out on "dates" almost every weekend up until he was no longer able. In 2014, Keith was diagnosed with cancer and underwent an 11 hour major surgery. The doctors said they got all the cancer and for a little over two years, Keith was in remission. He even went back to work. In January of 2017, tests revealed that the cancer had not only come back, but had spread to many areas of his body. He did all that was required by the doctors, underwent chemo again and this time, radiation injections. He never missed his appointments and tried to take care of himself by taking his medications faithfully. He fought the good fight but in the end, cancer won. On Thursday, October 12th, 2017, I said good-bye to my husband and the love of my life. I thank God for having known and loved Keith Larson.