A. Keith Morrison II

Born on November 17, 1965, in Columbus, Ohio, Keith lived a life full of warmth, humor, and quiet generosity. He was preceded in death by his brother, Steven Mark Morrison (1962). He is survived by his parents, Samuel and Carolyn Morrison; his brother, John Morrison; his nephew and niece, Alec and Ella Morrison; and his beloved German Shepherd, Ghost. He is also survived by his Uncle Charles Remines, Aunt Beverly Remines, and several cousins; Wally and Keith McLaughlin (Deb), John, Chuck (Karin) and Cathy Remines, and Tony Pleasant. His family, friends, and loyal dog will deeply miss the kindness and thoughtfulness he shared so naturally with everyone around him.

Keith loved his dogs! He had several in his life, starting with Braden a Black Labrador mix, and later, three German Shepherds, Bogey, Marley and Ghost. Ghost is a white German Shepherd and would go everywhere with him. Ghost ruled Keith’s house and his Jeep. He would sit right up front in the Jeep. You could tell, too! Ghost is a shedder! Ghost was a loyal companion and was at his side until the end. Keith would say, “that’s my child!” He loved him deeply!

Keith enjoyed many passions—snow skiing, golf, kayaking, bowling, spending time outdoors, and connecting with friends. Bowling was one of his great joys; he competed in leagues, bowled in the PBA Pro-Am when the touring professionals were in town, and once achieved a remarkable 298 game while bowling doubles with his father.

A central part of Keith’s life was the close-knit group of friends known as the “Mad Rats.” Keith was a core member of this group, which first formed in junior high school and grew into a lifelong brotherhood. Together, they built countless memories throughout their youth—going to Grateful Dead shows, camping, sharing a love of cars and music, and exploring the outdoors. As they grew older, skiing became a defining tradition, and the group continued to take trips that kept their friendship strong. Friends remember Keith as someone who made every gathering better—steadfast, funny, and the kind of friend who could turn an ordinary moment into a story worth keeping. The Mad Rats were an important part of his life, and Keith’s presence helped shape the spirit of the group.

Keith would go on spring break trips to Snowshoe West Virginia with his brother and his brother’s friends. They were all about 4 years older than Keith. He was fiercely competitive with his brother and always wanted to keep up with the older boys who were all expert competitive freestyle skiers. On one trip in particular that took place late in March one year when the snow was deep and the temperature was late spring warm, the boys were doing flips off a jump they had fashioned themselves in the middle of a bunch of moguls near the bottom of the mountain. Keith had never tried a flip before, but was determined to keep up with the older boys. After some discussion of whether he should try, he decided he would. He attacked the jump with speed and vigor, but in the middle of his flip he unwound early and his rotation instantly ended leaving him floating in the middle of the air 10 feet from the deep mash potato snow. After what seemed like an eternity hanging in the air, Keith dropped straight down into the snow and onto his back. Except for his pride, he was not hurt. The next run he nailed it! And that was Keith in a nutshell. He wanted to keep up!

Keith had a love for horseback riding. Even though he did not get to do it often, he had a passion for animals and enjoyed horses. We he was a young boy, his grandfather gave him a pony that lived on his grandfather’s (PaPa) farm. Keith told his father once that “PaPa threw my little ass up on that pony and said ‘hold on!’, He gave that pony a smack and off I went."

Keith also had a deep love for cars, particularly BMWs, and took great pride in owning and caring for them. His choices in cars also saved his life once! One year, Keith was driving home through West Virginia in the middle of the night after a vacation with his family, and fell asleep. His car veered off the highway and into an uneven ditch. The ditch tossed his car high into the air, it cut through a utility pole did several barrel rolls and landed sideways in the middle of the road right side up. The driver of the semi who was following him recounted that he didn’t think there were any survivors in the hulk of what was left of that car. So much so that he didn’t even get out of his truck! Then Keith emerged from the car, and in fact had only stubbed his toe, which were in flip flops, on the accelerator. He was blessed like that! It was said to him, more than once, that God had more plans for him!

He was equally committed to helping others. After devastating floods in Kentucky, he loaded his truck with water and delivered supplies directly to affected communities. He also traveled to Mexico to help build a chapel, giving his time not for recognition, but simply because it was needed.

He also loved riding motorcycles. He would love to ride his bike out in the country and on twisty roads in the country. He would go on long rides with his friend’s Brian, Lance and Eddie. One time, Brian recalled, that they were riding briskly through the countryside and Keith’s muffler flew off. It was so loud riding home that they had to wear earplugs.

A graduate of Upper Arlington High School, Keith attended The Ohio State University. His professional life included managing temporary staff for employment agencies, working in promotions management for Philip Morris, and later running his own apparel business.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Franklin County Dog Shelter in Keith’s memory.