Died at the age of 38

Keith would have been 39 today. You don't need to be the caliber of a mathemagician that Keith was to figure out that he died at the age of 38.

Here is a short list of others who have died at the same age. . .

Roberto Clemente - Baseball Player. Died 1972. Pittsburgh Pirate Hall of Famer died while doing humanitarian work.

Harry Chapin - Song Writer, Singer. Died 1981. Most famous for song Cat's in The Cradle.

Florence Griffith Joyner - Olympic Track Star.
Died 1998.

John F. Kennedy Jr. - Son of President Kennedy. Died 1999. Published George Magazine

Died April 7th

Here is a short list of famous people who share Keith's date of death.

P.T. Barnum - Circus Organizer and hoaxer. Died in 1891 at age 80. The saying "A sucker born every minute" is often attributed to him. May have been uttered by a contemporary.

Henry Ford - Automotive Pioneer. Died in 1947 at age 83. Streamlined auto industry.

Johnny Hart - Cartoonist. Died in 2007 at age 80. Created the comics strips B.C. and Wizard of Id. Stirred up controversy with his highly evangelical Easter Sunday panels in B.C.

Speaking of Easter, I found one reference on the Internet that Jesus Christ died on April 7th.

If that is indeed historically accurate, I find it very encouraging that Keith died on the same day that His savior died for His sins and those of the world. Because of Christ's death and subsequent Resurrection, I will one day see Keith again in Heaven.

A quick Keith and Dave Joke

One day I told Keith that I would love to go skiing in Norwegia.

I knew he would correct me and he did.

He said "Norway."

And I said "No, Really! I'd love to go!"

We tried to recreate the magic for years but no one else would fall for it.

Keith is as Keith does.

Keith was an avid movie goer. He really loved the movie Forrest Gump. I never quite got that movie. But that's okay many people never quite got Keith and I always appreciated Him.

Keith liked the movie so much that he gave his Daughter Sara the middle name Jenny. (Melchior had already been taken.)

The problem was that nobody did a worse Forrest Gump impression than Keith. The real problem was that no one did a more frequent Forrest Gump Impression than Keith. I mean how many times does a guy need to say "And that's all I have to say about that" which by the way it is.

Keith won't be at Chuck-E- Cheese. Rats!

We have a family tradition of celebrating our kids 4th birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese. These pictures are from 6 years ago when Emma turned 4. We just sent out the invitations for Lucy's party next month.

The hardest thing about the upcoming party for us is no Keith. He and Lynne always made time for any occasion our kids were having, a football game, a dance recital, even an opportunity to spend time with a 6 foot rodent. The place won't be the same without Him.

Veteran's Day

Keith loved having his birthday on Veteran's day. He loved telling people that kids get the day off to celebrate his birthday.

I consider myself a veteran this year. A veteran of grief and loss. But I am also glad for the opportunity to celebrate Keith's birthday and his life today. It is something we can do whenever we think of Him.

And you thought his middle name was bad!

We were very glad when Lucy was a girl. We had no idea what name we would give her had she been a boy.

I recently asked my Mom why Keith had the name Keith. When I say recently, I just got off the phone with her. Her answer: Because it went well With Bertram.

My Grandpa (My Mom's Dad) was named Bertram Friedrichs. Everybody I knew called him Dad. Grandpa or Bert. Bertram's a mouthful. But wait until you get load of his middle name: Melchior! According to Catholic tradition, Melchior was one of the names of the 3 Wise Men.



The Bible doesn't indicate how many wise men their were but since their were 3 gifts, many traditions and portrayals of Jesus life depict 3.

My Grandpa Friedrichs died a few months after Keith got married. He was at the wedding and was around as his namesake started his own family.

I'm just glad that Bonnie was a girl or else my Mom may have wanted to name her something that goes with Melchior!

The International Impact of Keith Part IV

The first summer I lived in Russia Keith visited me for a few weeks. One day we were on a bus headed over to have a dinner at the house of 2 of my students. While on the bus we encountered someone having some difficulty communicating in Russian. It turns out he was a Brazilian missionary who had just gotten into the country. He spoke no English, and very little Russian. He was fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. I used to be a fair hand at Spanish but lost most of Enter Keith who was practically fluent in Spanish. We ended up inviting (I think my students were with us on the bus) him to join us at the dinner.

The dinner was a very unusual affair my student's Mom spoke no English, Spanish or Portuguese but was very interested in talking with the Brazilian. So here's what we did our host asked a question in Russian, I translated it into English, Keith translated it into Spanish. The Brazilian would respond and Keith would translate it into English and I would translate it into Russian. Talk about having to sing for your supper.

Keith really enjoyed being useful and a focal point of the evening.

You did this to me!

My friend Patrick, who I met through Keith had this remembrance he wanted to share . . .

I was friends with Keith in high school, and even referred him to a job a McDonalds. After high school, he went away to school and I was still in Elk Grove and kind of lost touch with him. Until one day I walked into the Elk Grove McDonalds we had both worked at and a voice started yelling at me from the grill area "There he is. That's him! it's all his fault!" It was Keith, yelling at me for getting him work there. I came back after he got off of work and we hung out a bit. Talked about Amy Grant music and other things. It was a good night.

Amy Remembers Keith Part II

Here is the second installment of my wife's memories of my brother . . .

Keith really looked up to his big brother Dave. Whenever Dave would tell a joke, Keith would chime in that he was thinking the same thing, or try to get in on the laughter. Keith was such a smart man, he had a brain for facts and figures and dates. He and Dave and their mother would often try to outdo each other with what they knew, but always in good fun. They would mistakenly ask me one of their questions, and after getting a blank stare, move on to someone they knew would answer…each other. Our family spent quite a bit of time with Keith’s family and you could always tell that Keith looked up to his big brother Dave, and with good reason.

Time For Jeopardy

Jeopardy is a family obsession. My Mom has been recording it for years. My brother Chris likes to shout "Bet it all. Bet it all!" everytime A Daily Double is revealed.He also has dubbed the time where Alex Trebek interviews the contestants as "Meet the Geeks." But no one reveled in all things Jeopardy like Keith. He was also the best of the bunch of us at it. When Keith, Chris and My Mom all took the entrance test only Keith got to the next level.

Keith may not have been Ken Jennings, but He found solace in knowing the questions to all the answers. When Keith got sick and eventually died I had plenty of questions and very few answers. But knowing His spiritual condition, that He was a follower of Jesus, I am assured that now he is not in jeopardy.

Memories from the Funeral Part III

My sister Bonnie spoke at the dinner after the funeral. She later shared her remarks on her facebook page. That is where I stole them from . . .

Growing up, Keith was always there for me, taking care of me, and protecting me. I have fond memories of Keith and I waking up real early in the morning and seeing what the Easter Bunny had brought us, or watching “The Great Space Coaster” together which always ended with Keith riding his bike up to the store and buying us both snacks… But, the fondest memory I have of him is during high school. It was my Junior year and I was going through a very hard time. I remember being in my room crying and he carried a tape player in the hallway and played me a song. The lyrics of the song not only cheered me up then, but now, after his death, they still cheer me up. The name of the song is “In a Little While” and I would like to share with you the chorus of the song. They are:

“In a little while we’ll be with the Father Can’t you see Him smile?In a little while we’ll be home forever In a while We’re just here to learn to love Him We’ll be home in just a little while… The words, by Amy Grant, were supposed to encourage me (And they did) because the song is about during tough times, we can remember that we are soon going to be with the Lord in Heaven and we won’t have to cry anymore.

Although Keith’s “little while” came before mine and long before we expected it, I know that like he was encouraging me 18 years ago, Keith is with the Lord now in Heaven.

The International Impact of Keith Part III

The Kostya Rules

When Keith was visiting me in Russia a few of the students from the Russian Baptist Church paid a visit to my apartment. After a while we started playing Yahtzee. I don't think my Russian friends had ever played it before. One of my friends, Kostya kept throwing one of the dice off the table. Now "Roller American Rules" dictate that on such an occasion the entire role must be redone.

For whatever reason Keith initiated the Kostya rules. Kostya could look on the floor and see what the roll was, if he wanted to he could keep it, or he could re-roll. This certainly gives an advantage to the (lower cased) roller.

When I returned to the states Keith and I would often play Yahtzee and we always had to decide whether the Kostya rule was in play or not.

Star Wars, Legos and kids. .

When Keith was 6 and I was 12 a small little movie called Star Wars opened. Like many kids our ages we became passionate about this movie. For me it was writing Basic Programs with Vic Santos about X-Wings and Death Stars. For Keith, it was playing with Star Wars Action Figures with Andy Nover.

Keith was also very fond of legos as a child. He was an excellent lego maker and had quite the imagination.

Classics never go out of style and my Son Charlie is also passionate about Star Wars and Legos. Charlie started his own Blog Recently entitled Homeschool Jedi Apprentice. Two of his most recent posts combine Legos and Star Wars. One is a video of a battle between clones and droids and the other are just photos of same.

I see a lot of Keith in his children, Bobby and Sara. But I also see a lot of Keith, in my own children and all children. In some ways (mostly good) Keith never stopped being 6 and his passion for games and toys gave him an ability to communicate with kids on their level. He may have been a child a long time ago but when it came to relating to children He was never in a galaxy far far away.

Keith and the Bicentennial

This is my 200th blog post. If I weren't posting every 39 minutes today in honor of Keith's 39th birthday I would probably not make the 200 mark until late December, early January. Since this day is not about me, I will tell you about Keith circa 1976. (The bicentenial of America). Keith began kindergarten in 1976. He turned 6, 33 years ago today. While his older 3 siblings were attending Queen of The Rosary (QR) and/or Grove Junior High, Keith was becoming the 4th member of our family to attend kindergarten at Salt Creek School . QR did not have a kindergarten program at the time and our sister Bonnie was the first to attend QR's kindergarten rather than Salt Creek's. Incidentally, the 5th member of our family to attend kindergarten at Salt Creek was Keith's son Bobby, who stayed with his family at my folks' house in Elk Grove during the first year of Keith's illness.

My dad was in the throes of putting an addition on the house that would give Keith his own room. Up to this point, Keith had been staying in the same room as his 10 and 12 year old brothers.

Editors Note: I'm the 12 year old. Chris is younger than me! So, back off!

Editor's Note the second: Read all about my fraternal angst with my middle sibling at I'm not bitter dot com.

A 6 year age difference is a pretty big thing at 12 and Keith and I didn't exactly hang out in the same circles. What I do remember about him is equal parts affability and annoyance. He was the quintessential give him an expensive present, he'll play with the box kid. But he also had an insatiable curiosity in how things worked (not unlike a son of mine.)

So that's 1976, the year Rocky didn't need a Roman numeral. The year of Olympic heroes Franz Klamer and Nadia Commanecci. The year my Dad put an addition on the house. Uncle Sam turned 200. Keith started kindergarten and I started 7th grade for the first time. But that as they say is a story for a different time.

The International Impact of Keith Part II

Keith visited me when I was living in Russia in 1993. The picture of us on the blog page was taken on that trip. If you'll notice we are drinking soda, but there is no ice in the glasses. At one point of the trip this caused Keith to comment. "A guy could make a lot of money in this country, if he had the recipe for ice cubes."

A Mother's Memory Part II

Here is another memory of Keith from my Mom . . .

When Bonnie was in 1st grade, Keith was in 5th, and we had him walk with her to school for awhile. Keith was always ready first, and when Bonnie was running late he would go upstairs to expedite, because he didn’t want to be late. I finally found out that she was having him “wait on her” by bringing her stuff and getting her books together, etc., and he never complained. I had to tell him not to do her work for her, and he said that it was the only way she’d be on time. I told Bonnie that Keith wasn’t going to do her work for her, and if she wasn’t ready on time, Keith would go without her. I really had to talk him into doing that, but Bonnie was seldom late after that.

Memories from the Funeral Part II

When Keith died many people wanted to eulogize him at the funeral. Myself, Our brother and younger sister among them. I felt a deep need to be the one who spoke and by God's grace I was chosen to give the eulogy at the end of the Mass. A few days after the funeral I shared the transcript (as best as I could remember) on my blog.

Here is what I said . . .

On behalf of Lynn and her children, my parents and my brothers and sisters I'd like to welcome you to the Illinois regional Jeopardy auditions. (wait for laughter to subside) Keith and the rest of our family grew up at this church. The first funeral I recall attending was here. It was for the father of a school and scouting friend of Chris and mine. After the service, my dad approached the widow and said "38 is much too young to go."

Now, I was about 10, and like maybe many of you, (motioning to the students) 38 did not seem young to me at all. But let me tell you, 38 is much too young (Keith was 38 when he died). When you love somebody whenever they die it is always much too soon.

Many people who knew Keith only by his diagnosis (bi-polar disorder) might think that there were two Keith's. That was so untrue. There was only one Keith. He had a greater capacity for love and enjoyment than anyone I ever knew. He loved his family. He loved playing games and he loved jokes. He was active in his children's schooling and scouting. (I meant to talk briefly how he loved chess and how he was helping my son Charlie with his chess class on their last visit together a week before he died. I didn't get to that part. I also wanted to talk specifically about how much he loved his wife Lynn, missed that as well). He was logical to the point of being obnoxious or perhaps for the purpose of being obnoxious. He'd be at a a party at my house and I'd say "Keith there's Pepsi in the cooler if you want one." And he'd say "Actually, there's Pepsi in the cooler even if I don't want one."

Keith's passing has left many of us with the same question. A question my daughter Emma has asked many times this week. "Daddy, why did Uncle Keith have to die?" I don't think it was any coincidence that Keith died during Holy Week. During the same time that many of you were celebrating the stations of the cross and asking "Why did Jesus have to die?" Pastor Ed you are right Keith is not asking those questions now. Keith understood the hope of the resurrection and He is in heaven right now with his Savior.

During the past 3 years during the course of his illness, (Keith had heart and kidney ailments) many people have stopped me and asked me "How is Keith? How is your brother doing?" Keith is doing great. He is doing better than we can even imagine.

The write thing at the right time.

The day after Keith's Funeral I was having a rough day. Here is an excerpt form my blog of how my Daughter Emma lifted my spirits on a very difficult day.

Today has been a difficult day. I started teaching the kids today and it did not go really well. I went shopping after Amy came home and started crying about three times in the five minutes I was in the store. Purchasing refried beans usually does not have that effect on me. Keith has been on my mind all day.When I got back in the house I started crying again. Emma was finishing a writing assignment that Amy gave her last week. She asked me what was the matter and I said that I wasn't feeling very well today. She handed me her finished assignment and said "here, I hope this makes you feel better." It really did! She gave me permission to share it here.

My Dad! By Emma R

A man like Dad is hard to find. If you looked for someone like him in a 1,000,000 men, not one would be just like him. That is because my dad is the best dad in the world! But not the best father. Just kidding!

That is because he is silly, helpful, kind, nice, funny, and crazy! He likes to say "llama". Once he said I'll give you 5 cents for every time I say llama!" Boy! Did we get a lot of money!
We used to get 50 cents for allowance. Now we get $2.00! He even lets me be paid for some jobs.

He always prays for Lucy and sometimes lays down with her. He loves playing games with us!
When Lucy has sticker time, he lets her choose. When she has computer time, he does exactly what she wants. He makes Lucy's school fun. He takes our neighbor to the store, because she does not have a car.

He used to visit our uncle at the hospital. In conclusion, my dad is the best dad in the world because he is nice, kind and crazy.

I just gave a eulogy yesterday. The problem with a eulogy is that the person you want to tell all these great things about is not there to hear them. Emma's paper seemed like a eulogy that I was able to receive.

The International Impact of Keith Part I

This memory comes from Rosie Button, a British friend of mine who like many of my friends stayed with my folks for a few days (because of my folks great kindness and also proximity to O'hare.)

I remember meeting Keith on my first ever night in the US, in 1997. Dan and I stayed w your parents in Chicago, right after I flew in, and he was around. When we were leaving early the next morning, he was out in the street, fixing the windshield wipers on his car, in his dressing-gown. He remains one of my first American memories. We are sorry for your loss.