Curtis Lloyd Keith, Jr.
Curtis Lloyd Keith, Jr. died Monday, Feb. 1, 2021 at his home in rural Fredericksburg. He was 81 years old.
Curtis was born on May 29, 1939 in Houston, the eldest son of Curtis L. Keith, Sr. and Mary Lee McBrayer Keith. Along with his younger brother, James Lee Keith, he was raised in Houston, Corpus Christi, Leander and Groves, Texas. In 1957, he graduated from Port Neches Groves High School.
He was married to his high school sweetheart, Barbara Jeanne Arneson Keith, at Groves Christian Church in Groves, Texas on July 31, 1958. Together they raised four children, Matthew Dwayne, Deborah Layne, Timothy Wayne and Curtis Lloyd Keith III.
Curtis pursued higher education at Texas Christian University and Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas, earning B.A. (1961), B.D. (1963), M.Th. (1968) and ultimately Doctor of Ministry (1978) degrees. He was ordained to vocational ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at Groves Christian Church on May 12, 1963. He devoted nearly 60 years to pastoral ministry, serving pastorates in Alvaredo, Childress, Lancaster, Brownwood, Lufkin and Amarillo, Texas, and Scottsdale, Ariz.. Following his retirement from full-time service in 2001, he spent the last 20 years of his life serving short-term interim ministries in Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Colorado and North Carolina. At the time of his death, he was serving as interim minister of the First Christian Church of Kerrville. In February 2013, Curtis was honored by Brite Divinity School as its Distinguished Alumnus in Pastoral Ministry.
During their retirement years, Curtis and Barbara split time between the interim ministries which filled many months of the year and their beloved mountain home at Lake City, Colo.. They were active in the historic community church there and in the mountain jeep club. In 2015, they felt a need to get back to Texas and exchanged their mountain life for their “Legacy Ranch” outside Fredericksburg. In these recent years, he enjoyed raising cattle, blackbucks, and exotic sheep while building a new home and developing their land. Among his other lifetime interests were fly fishing, RV travel, woodworking and model railroading.
He is survived by his wife Barbara; by his brother Jim Keith; by his sons Matthew (Lisa) of Kennewick, Wash., Tim (Debbie) of Canyon Lake, Texas and Curtis (Carol) of Magnolia, Texas; by nine grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and a host of friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, by his daughter Deborah and by a grandson, Tyler.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Curtis L. and Barbara Keith Ministerial Education Fund at Brite Divinity School, c/o Mary Brouillette, TCU Box 298130, Fort Worth, Texas 76129. (Gifts may be designated to the fund and made online through brite.edu/giving (Give Now)). Of course memorial gifts are always welcomed to your own congregation or to the First Christian Church of Kerrville, TX.
Grimes Funeral Chapels of Kerrville
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