Keith Lorenzo Ellsworth

Keith Lorenzo Ellsworth, 75, passed away on October 7, 2024.

The best thing to be said about Keith is that he married well.

If you only know one thing about Keith, it was that he married the love of his life. Keith and Karen had a legendary romance, one that far exceeded those you read about in books or see in the movies. He loved and was loved every day of his life because of the wonderful woman he married. 

Karen gave him two sons whom he loved with all his heart. Their success in both their personal and professional lives gave him great pride and joy. 

Following love of family, music was Keith’s passion. He sang in choruses and choirs throughout school. He loved to sing and loved songs he could sing along with best of all. He could talk endlessly about all the bands he saw live: Linda Ronstadt, AC/DC, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, Carlos Santana, Dixie Chicks, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Diamond, John Fogerty, Lyle Lovett, Keith Urban, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Cher, Joe Cocker, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and ... He loved going to concerts. 

Moving all his life (one step ahead of the law?), Keith valued his long-term friendships. Many are gone now. Larry and Rolland will always hold a special place in his heart.

Keith loved to laugh and make others laugh. His mother always said his biggest problem was that he thought he was funny. The son of a first-generation immigrant, he learned to love the Bill of Rights at her knee.

Though he never served in combat, his love of country and the Constitution was evident in his enlistment in the U.S. Navy during the war in Vietnam. Keith served four years and was proud of his Honorable Discharge. That part of the oath, “to support and defend the Constitution”, remained with him throughout his life.

Keith found success in his professional endeavors. At the Union Pacific he moved from warehouse worker to foreman. He was elected and re-elected multiple times as union representative. After getting his Master’s Degree at Idaho State, Keith became a collegiate men’s basketball coach, eventually leading East Central College in Missouri to a 49-42 record as head coach. At the YMCA, he rose from part-time childcare worker to program director. Proudly hanging on his wall is an award for developing and supervising the best middle-school, after-school program in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Keith loved to write. He is the author of a science fiction book, a three act historical play about hippies, the Journals of P.T. Pferdei, as well as numerous articles and short stories.

Keith served others his entire life. It showed in his service as union representative, instructor and college coach, teacher with the St. Louis Jobs Corp and his time at the YMCA. His love of children was evident in his service at the YMCA and his love of family. 

 “I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone. From the beginning to the end he noted that first came the date of birth and spoke to the following date with tears. But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.”

Keith is loved and held in remembrance by the love of his life, Karen Jean Ellsworth, his sons Nathan (Tara) and Mathew (Mandy), his grandchildren Ethan, James, Annabelle, and Everleigh, his siblings Ron (Merrilee), Shirley (Rick), and Mike, his best friends and honorary brothers Rolland and Larry – and many more including the students he mentored and his beloved chocolate lab, Mollie. 

In lieu of flowers, please share a memory (or two) of Keith. And maybe pet a dog or watch a college basketball game. 

His services will be held at Inkom Cemetery on 10/12/24 at 10:30am. Celebration of Life to follow the graveside service at 2:00pm at Mama Inez in Pocatello, ID. 

To honor Keith, please feel free to wear your favorite Idaho salmon/fish tie or Idaho paraphernalia to the Celebration of Life at Mama Inez. 

Memories and condolences may be shared by visiting the Guestbook below.