Obituary of Ronald William Keith

KEITH, RONALD WILLIAM. -   Ron died at the Saint John Regional Hospital on Tuesday July 26, 2011, from complications of congestive heart failure. His last days were filled with visits from loving friends, and made peaceful by the compassionate staff of the Palliative Care Unit. Born April 30, 1949 in Saint John on our Dad's fortieth birthday, Ron was the son of Gerald Grover Keith of Saint John and Ruth Mary (nee Smyth) of Kitchener, Ontario. He is survived by his sister Mary Frances Keith (myself), our cousins Gerald A. Keith (Susan Walsh) and Franklin P. Keith, and Gerry's son Ben Keith, all of Saint John; and our Ontario cousins the Bulmers: Ronald Bulmer, Sharon Scudamore, Diane Christie, Elizabeth McPhee and Linda Bulmer. When Ron was born I was three years old and we lived on the Lower West Side at 79 Market Place, on the corner of King Street West. The building, long gone, was once a historic temperance inn called the Tema House. My new baby brother was brought home from the hospital in a basket. As I waited in suspense, our parents placed the basket on the diningroom table. Then they helped me climb up onto the table and peek into the basket to get my first look. It was then that I knew something very special had come into our lives. I never would have been allowed to climb up onto the table otherwise. Ron's school years were spent at Beaconsfield, Barnhill and Saint John High, followed by courses at UNB Saint John and Fredericton and Carleton University in Ottawa. During his twenties he enjoyed attending drawing classes. During one such class, revered artist and teacher Fred Ross brought a bust of Napoleon as a model for students to draw. Ron's drawing of Napoleon's radically upturned face was massive, powerful, sculptural. It presides over our front hall to this day. Ron worked at Chase Camera, Fundy Cable and elsewhere, then started up his own photography business. He enjoyed playing chess with local enthusiasts, inspired by the unflagging energy of Dan Elman. Along with some close friends, he volunteered countless hours on the Greater Saint John Community Cablevision Council, serving at one time as chairman. Ron survived cancer twice in his life, and also became a caregiver himself, retiring from the photography business so that together he and I could care for our mother Ruth at home, a fulltime labor of love that lasted nearly five years. Ron inherited a great love of genealogy and local history from our Dad, Gerald G. Keith, who had authored many historical articles and co-authored books on the descendants of Edmund Price and of Daniel Keith. Ron continued in our Dad's footsteps, and was a member of the NB Genealogical Society, the NB Historical Society, the Associates of the Provincial Archives, and many more. Surrounded by tons of old family photos, writings and furniture passed down through various branches of our family tree, Ron felt ancestors to be just as vibrant with personality as anyone living today. He was fascinated by books on mathematics, the origins of the universe, the origins of life on Earth, biographies of artists Edvard Munch and Picasso. He was a fan of "Ideas" on CBC Radio. He loved medieval and Renaissance music, Pachelbel's Canon, Bartok, Rodrigo, the Beatles and so much more. He was blessed with wonderful friends who got together year after year to play music and sing, attend art openings, or "do lunch". We will miss him more than we can say, and remember him gratefully. Heartfelt thanks to each and every Nurse who cared for Ron with so much cheer and good will, including Caroline Jennings at the Heart Function Clinic, and Caroline Meyer, an old friend. And to all the Doctors who have given him the best of care: Dr. Sean Keyes Jr. and before him his father Dr. Sean Keyes Sr., Dr. Margot Burnell, Dr. David Bewick, Dr. Craig Brown, Dr. Cory Gillis, Dr. Alan Cockeram, Dr. William L. Johnson (who was our Mother's family physician for many years), and many others, profound thanks from a grateful sister who knows all that you have done for Ron. A memorial service will be held from the Chapel of Brenan's Bay View Funeral Home, 1461 Manawagonish Road, Saint John (634-7425) on Wednesday August 10 at 7:00 PM. For those unable to attend the service, a visitation/reception will immediately follow the service. Interment will take place at a later date at Fernhill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, friends are welcome to make a donation to the charity of their choice, or to the Palliative Care Unit, or to the "The Give" Stem Cell Therapy fundraiser, both c/o the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation, PO Box 2100, Saint John, NB, E2L 4L2. Online condolences may be placed at www.brenansfh.com Â