Peter Michael Keltch

the son of Jack Keltch and Roberta Jean Keltch, who preceded him in death. He was born in Cherokee,

Oklahoma on July 12, 1947. Peter attended public school in Cherokee, Oklahoma and graduated from

Northeastern State University where he attended on a debate scholarship. He also graduated from the

University of Oklahoma College of Law. After law school, Peter worked for three years for the US

Department of Education in Washington D.C. before returning to Cherokee where he engaged in the

private practice of law for many years, both as a solo practitioner and in the partnership of Wright,

Keltch, Blew and Cullen. Peter was active in the Cherokee community. He was the Republican

County Chairman for many terms, and he was appointed to filI an unexpired term of Alfalfa County

Commissioner during the county commission upheaval during the 80's. In his Republican activism,

Peter held many party positions and was elected to be a delegate to a Republican National Convention.

In 1992 Peter was appointed to be an Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration

and he held this post until his recent retirement. In this process he served as judge in thousands of

appeals made by social security claimants. Peter pursued many interests, with particular passion for OU

football, whose home games he rarely missed and in an exhaustive interest in genealogy. He was

active in his community, actively participating in many civic organizations. He worked and

volunteered in the Sons of the American Revolution, the Brigadier General Stand Waitie Society of

Oklahoma City, the General R.A. Snead-Col. J.E. Berry Reads Independent Confederate Camp No.

4017 of OKC, and the Downtown Lions Club. He was also a long time board member and officer of

the Oklahoma affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union. He was an active member of the

Oklahoma City Cathedral of Hope. Peter is survived by his life partner of twenty-nine years Philip Dan

Grate of the home; his brother Robert D. Keltch, and wife Susan of Oklahoma, City; his brother Jack

Keltch of Wellington, Ks; and his sister Amy Troutman of Owensboro, Kentucky; stepmother Nancy

Keltch of Owensboro, Kentucky; stepsisters Karen Ohrmann, Lenay Kingkade both from Haysville,

Ks. and Kim Brzowski, Owensboro, Ky. Services will be held Wednesday, June 12, at 11:00 a.m. at the

Mayflower Congregational Church of Christ, 3901 N.W. 63rd Street, Oklahoma City.