Keith Dwayne Smith

Keith was born September 1, 1933, in Pembina County, North Dakota, to Norman and Annis Smith. He proudly served 21 years in the United States Navy, and his love of life at sea never left him. Even in his 90s, he said if the Navy would let him live on a ship again, he'd go.

After retiring from the Navy, Keith began a second career with the Department of Labor. After his final retirement, he and his wife, Nancy, who preceded him in death, spent their time between St. Augustine, Florida, and Helen, Georgia.

One of the most important chapters of Keith's life began when he found Alcoholics Anonymous. He credited AA and his faith in God with helping him turn his own life around, and for 40 years, he devoted himself to helping countless others do the same. He could rarely talk about that journey—or God's role in it—without becoming emotional.

Keith also loved to walk, logging what surely amounted to a million miles over the years. He taught his grandchildren to play cards, loved his family deeply, and always had room for an animal that needed him. There were dogs—including one memorable enough to pee while walking on his front paws—and later, cats who were probably lucky Keith didn't care whether anyone else would have taken them.

And in Helen, Keith was nothing short of a local celebrity. Everyone seemed to know Keith. He was seated first, moved to the front of the line, and welcomed just about everywhere he went.

Keith is survived by his children, Deborah Williams and Bryan Keith Smith; grandchildren Kristina Mikell, William Adkins, Brett Smith, and Brittney Bottorff; great-grandchildren Nora Adkins, Matthew and Tabitha Mikell, Lydia Schoenherr, Felix Sanchez, and Henley and Hayden Bottorff; and great-great-grandchild Maevely Schoenherr.

Keith lived 93 years, served his country, changed his own life, and then spent decades helping others change theirs. His family will miss his stories, his card games, his faith, his four-legged strays, and the larger-than-life presence that made him unforgettable.

And wherever Keith is now, we have a feeling someone has already moved him to the front of the line.