Keith L Wonderly

PHILOMATH - Keith L. Wonderly passed away early Thursday morning, December 22, 2022, at the family farm in Philomath surrounded by his loved ones. He is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Patricia “Patti” Nofziger Wonderly; Daughter Kristina Wonderly (Eric Lindquist) Jefferson OR; Son Daniel Wonderly (Jenn Holmes) Redondo Beach CA; Grandson Grady Holaday (Sierra) Philomath OR.

Keith was born January 24, 1945 to Madell and Francis Wonderly. He was the youngest of 3 children and is survived by his two sisters Lucille Wonderly Reeck (Darrell) Newberg OR and Madell Wonderly Klauke (Peter, deceased) of Toronto, Canada, as well as multiple nieces and nephews and their children. Keith grew up in a fun-loving Christian family in Salem that shared a passion for music. As a youth, Keith sang with the Salem Singers and was the drum major in the band at South Salem HS where he graduated in 1963.

After taking classes at local colleges in the NW, Keith joined the Naval Reserves in September 1965 and reported for active duty a year later. Prior to shipping out on his first tour, he proposed to his childhood sweetheart, Patti Nofziger. They were engaged while Keith served on the USS Canberra for two combat tours during the Vietnam War.

Keith’s ship returned to San Diego one month before he and Patti were married on June 22, 1968. After leaving the Navy, they settled in the San Diego area while Keith attended San Diego State University, graduating in 1974 with a BS degree in Telecom. They were actively involved with Skyline Wesleyan Church. These early years of their marriage built the foundation for a life-long commitment to God’s work.

Upon graduation, Keith and Patti were accepted as missionaries with OMS International. They moved to Michigan for cross cultural training where their daughter was born, followed by a year in Costa Rica for Spanish language school. In 1976, they settled into their new home in Bogota, Colombia where Keith served as the Multi-Media & Radio Producer for 5 years. While in Colombia, they expanded their family with the birth of their son.

In 1981, Keith joined the Audio Visual staff at OMS’s International Office in Greenwood, IN. He eventually became director of that department and served in that role until he retired after 25 years of service. In his free time, Keith also served as the lead sound engineer at their local church, Southport Presbyterian.

With retirement came a call to return home to Oregon and settle at the Wonderly farm in Philomath OR in 2005. They were joined by their daughter and grandson. They spent the first couple of years remodeling the old farm house and eventually building their own home on the property. When not working at Home Depot and the Mennonite Village, Keith’s real love was puttering around and maintaining the property on his orange Kubota tractor, being trailed by the two family dogs, Stuck and Speckles.

Keith retired officially for the 2nd time in Jan. 2017. He and Patti enjoyed their retirement years with many miles of hiking, impromptu trips to the coast or mountains for breakfast and hosting epic family gatherings. They were also deeply connected with their church NW Hills Community Church in Corvallis.

Keith was loved by many over the years and we invite you to join us in celebrating his very full life. A service will be held on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 1:00pm at NW Hills Community Church in Corvallis. It will be followed by a reception for all to share their memories and Keith’s absolute passion for the “6th food group” -- ice cream.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation's "Cancer Care" fund in support of the Samaritan Pastega Regional Cancer Center in memory of Keith Wonderly. Online visit http://www.samhealth.org/GiveFSHE or send to 815 NW 9th St, Suite 136, Corvallis OR 97330,

OR

Haiti Radio Station 4VEH, One Mission Society, #300330 radio 4VEH, in memory of Keith Wonderly, Box A, Greenwood IN 46142.