Keith Harlan Aufderheide

Dr. Keith Harlan Aufderheide, age 71, of Lawrenceville, died July 1, 2025 of complications from a recurrence of lung cancer at The Oaks Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation facility in Athens. He passed just after a warm visit with his son and wife on what was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Keith leaves a legacy of devotion as a son, brother, husband, and father, and a legacy of integrity, intellect, and effective leadership in his work as a professor and associate provost.

Keith was born to Maxine Heller Aufderheide and Eugene Aufderheide of Wilmington, Ohio on February 11, 1954. Growing up in Ohio as an avid Boy Scout who reveled in the outdoors, he eventually earned Eagle Scout. The values and discipline that scouting developed in him he carried throughout his life. After attending Culver Military Academy in Indiana for high school, he went on to college first at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio and then at Wilmington College, from which he graduated with two degrees – a Bachelor of Sciences in Chemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in English.

On completing his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Miami University of Ohio, Keith declined a postdoctoral research fellowship to accept a teaching position at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta in 1980 – a decision that germinated a thirty-nine-year career as a decorated educator and respected administrator and that culminated in Keith’s being awarded Professor Emeritus after his retirement in 2019. His rigor and ability in the classroom earned him a Meritorious Teaching Award and the Vulcan Materials Company Teaching Excellence Award in 2010. As Associate Provost at Oglethorpe, Keith directed the university’s academic assessment of its programs and its Quality Enhancement Plan, which were essential to maintaining the institution’s accreditation. He also spearheaded the Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities contingent and was actively involved in the university’s Honor Council. He enjoyed following the unfolding careers and lives of his former students, who praise his academic advising and his mentoring. Legendary for e-mail messages to his fellow professors that covered every contingency and detail, whatever the subject, Keith’s reliability, humor, and integrity made him a sterling colleague.

Keith’s dedication to his work at Oglethorpe was exceeded only by his love and commitment to his family. As imposing as he could be in the classroom, he was boyish and quick to laugh in the home he made with Angie, the love of his life. He delighted in cooking for his sons and stepdaughter, in tending his hostas and roses and his dog Luna, in listening to a wide range of recorded and live music, in watching his sons play middle- and high-school football, in reading literary fiction

and World War Two history, in fathoming Killer Soduku, and in watching NFL and NBA games and NCAA football (especially his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes) on TV. His favorite holiday was Thanksgiving, spent at home, centered on a home-cooked meal and a relaxed afternoon of conversation with his immediate family and his parents, nephews, nieces, and in-laws, and ending with an NFL game.

In a retirement, Keith enjoyed traveling with his family to France, the United Kingdom, and other destinations – trips he documented thoroughly with his keen photographer’s eye. He took pleasure in perfected technique. His skill and patience are as quietly clear in his pictures as they are in the exquisite woodwork of his younger days and in the roses of his last years.

Keith was preceded in death by his parents Maxine and Eugene Aufderheide, his younger sister Carla , and his son Aidan. He is survived by his spouse of twenty-five years Angela Vaughn Aufderheide, sons Seth Aufderheide (Kelli) and Elias, and stepdaughter Samantha Henderson (Brody).

A funeral service celebrating Keith’s life will be held Monday, July 7 at 2 p.m., at Eternal Hills Funeral Home, 3594 Stone Mountain Highway, Snellville, GA. Family will receive visitors at Eternal Hills beginning at noon.