Hagen Keith Meins

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Hagen “Keith” Meins passed into eternal life on April 27, 2024. He was 62 years old. Keith is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Marianne, and his four daughters: Kelsey Marie Meins, Melanie Anne Harryman, Laura Brynn Meins, and Paige Morgan Meins. He also leaves behind granddaughter Hunter Gwenevere Harryman, son-in-law Jesse Richard Harryman and his three dogs Gus, Finley and Charles. He is survived by his mother Mary Elizabeth Meins and three siblings Cathi (Mitch) Barrington, Kevin (Gayle) Meins, and Kirsten (Jim) Langston, and many nieces and nephews. Keith was preceded in passing to eternity by his father Arthur Hagen Meins.

Keith was born on January 12, 1962, in Montgomery, Alabama to Arthur Hagen Meins, a dedicated Air Force Veteran, and Mary Elizabeth Meins, devoted military wife and mother and elementary school educator. Keith bore the image of God given to him to reveal incredibly boldly and fervently throughout his life which led many to see the Father through him. Raised in the Lutheran Church, Keith spent the past 32 years as a member of Living Savior Lutheran Church in Fairfax Station, VA, with the founding members of the church. With his wife Marianne, he helped shape the lives of young teens as Youth Directors for the first five years of their marriage. God used his gifts of empathy and trustworthiness to bring countless people to faith in Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior, including gently leading his wife Marianne to Baptism early in their Marriage. Keith found his final spiritual home and community at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Cabot, Arkansas.

Keith was baptized as an infant on January 21, 1962 in Stuttgart, Arkansas and was confirmed in Worms, Germany at Trinity Church on June 2, 1974. The scripture Keith chose for his Confirmation is, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses.” Acts 1:8, NKJV, and Keith walked through life with this verse every day.

Above all things, Keith is a fierce and brave son of God who shared the deepest love and care with everyone he knew. He is proudest of his Best Dad and Best Grandpa Awards and adores his four beautiful daughters and special granddaughter. Keith is known for being “larger than life” and has a capacity to love that redefines the word. He deeply believed his purpose in life to be a devoted Husband, Father, Grandfather, Son, Brother, and friend, and he walked this out every moment to the fullest. His submission to the Father’s plan was so evident in every way; he constantly exudes the fruit of the spirit: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23, NLT. We take heart in this as evidence of his relationship with our Heavenly Father and reliable proof He is living eternally now.

To his daughters he is everything; he was always there, rock in the storm, cheerleader, best friend, teacher, and safe place. He taught us to be brave to feel emotion as it came, to think for ourselves, and to be strong to share ourselves with the world. He would often say “my role is to be here for you girls, for everything you need.” and we know that he is hearing “Well done my son, my good and faithful servant.”

Keith is a heavily decorated veteran having served in several wars and operations on special security teams that were first to deploy in pre-invasion operations, including the invasion of Panama during the presidency of George H. W. Bush to depose the de facto ruler of Panama, General Manuel Noriega. The operation, codenamed Operation Just Cause, concluded with the surrender of Noriega. Shortly after, President Bush ordered the organization of Operation Desert Shield in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Keith was on the Airbase Ground Defense Team, the first airplane to deploy as a part of the order preparing American troops to become part of an international coalition launched as Operation Desert Storm. Keith received medals for his service in Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm as well as countless other awards. During his service in the Air Force, Keith was awarded a master’s degree in security management from Webster University and prior to that he received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas.

Keith’s humility and sacrificial service was evident in a recent written conversation with a friend and described himself, “I am a security guy who realized Keeping God’s Children safe through my vocation was a privilege and a calling.” Keith’s most rewarding accomplishments include his volunteer roles as Director of Security for mass events like “Stand in the Gap”, held in 1998 on the National Mall with over 1.5M Christian Men in attendance. Also, more recently, serving as Director of Security for the tri-annual Lutheran National Youth Gathering with over 35,000 high school aged Lutherans gathered together for a week full of worship, bible study, servant events and fun! All four of his daughters participated in these events in years 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2022.

Keith never lost sight of his hometown roots and in 2023, he moved his family back to Jacksonville, Arkansas to be close to family and pursue his vision to help the community by providing technology-enabled opportunities for Smart Community Development. Prior to moving, Keith was advancing several entrepreneurial pursuits and founded Smart Innovation Corporation, a non-profit to facilitate executing on that vision. Keith was at the height of his career, partnering with the most innovative and advanced technology companies to see his vision through. In March of this year, Keith and Marianne became part of the Leadership Boardroom, a Christ-centered Mastermind community focused on ensuring early-stage entrepreneurs stay focused on their God-designed purpose as they develop a Personal Vision first and Business Vision second. Through this process, Keith involved many of his best friends in crafting a vision for not only his company but setting the stage for building a Family Legacy.

While his family and friends are incredibly saddened that he is no longer with us here, we are comforted by his immense and clear faith in the Lord Our Savior that we will be reunited with him one day in heaven. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” John 10:28-29 ESV.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made at https://everloved.com/life-of/hagen-meins/donate/