In Memoriam

Lt. Col. Keyt was a wonderful father and family man in addition to being a leader and mentor at work. My sisters, Laura and Maren, and I remember our dear old dad (as he loved us to call him), his kindness and sense of humor, his love for us and for our mom and his love for life (including flying). He was a pilot, a musician, a carpenter, a marathon runner, a farmer - he lived life fully and he was never afraid of the challenges along the way. He was a man of great integrity who always strove to do the right thing even when it was difficult; his quality of character inspired those around him and continues to inspire me in my life. We have so many wonderful memories and miss him terribly. I love you, dad. - Ellen

I have boy scout patches from a Roy Keyt. Would like to know if this may have been your father. If so I'd like to return the patches to you.

Yes! That really would be wonderful - thank you! I remember seeing pictures of my dad and uncle, Dale, in uniform. How did you come by the patches?

My email is ellenkeyt@gmail.com

I don't remember which farming town he grew up in Illinois, but I was born in Champaign.

These patches were part of an auction bundle I got yeas ago. Please email me your address and I'll put these in the mail to you. The troop seemed to be out of Mendota, IL. which is a farming community in North-Central Illinois.

Roy Keyt was my high school band director my freshman and sophomore years of high school. He was excellent. We played very fine music under him. We played the famous Norwegian March "Valdres" by Johannes Hanssen. We won state sweepstakes for our classification. That was a true accomplishment. I feel qualified to comment on this since I now hold a degree in music, and have taught and performed my entire life. I played the first clarinet part in the high school band all four years and played in college.

I was saddened to learn of his death.

Bill, I don't know if you will see this, but thank you for your kind words about my dad. He touched a lot of people, and music was something that he loved. I recently found a copy of his thesis from Air War College, and in his bio, he claimed to be the only fighter pilot and semi-professional tuba player in the Total Air Force. We miss him still. Laura

Kathy, I'd be happy to email you but your email doesn't show up on these messages. I know my family would treasure those patches, if you still have them. I so appreciate your offer to share them. My email is still ellenkeyt@gmail.com.