Obituary of Tyrone Keithley

Tyrone (Ty) Keithley entered eternal life on May 25, 2020.Ty was born to Francis and Wanda Keithley in Augusta, Kansas, on February 19, 1939. His college was interrupted by a letter from Uncle Sam. Although drafted, he loved the 101st Airborne and after being honorably discharged, founded a sport parachute club in Wichita, Kansas.On a blind date he met and in time married his soulmate and love of his life, Susan Buehne, on July 2, 1966. They would have almost 54 wonderful years together. Ty graduated in 1976 from Wichita State University with a Master in Education. He loved his high school students and would continue to hear from former students thirty years later, thanking him for being an outstanding supportive educator. Ty was recruited to assist in writing a curriculum guide for plastics for the state of Kansas, a relatively new area of curriculum for high schools and industry. He was consistantly on the cutting edge for innovative companies where he was later employed including Creative Interiors, Precision Pattern, and Precision Composites. His talent and skill spanned from the technical to the artistic as he designed and developed mechanical components for commercial and private aircraft as well as private aircraft interiors. He had always worked in some facet of the aerospace industry, notably Boeing and Cessna, and could skillfully direct the development of a part from the hypothetical to the final product.In 1986 Ty, Susan, and family moved to Bedford, Texas, where he was employed by Bell Helicopter. He was Senior Engineer in Manufacturing Tooling and later Chief Manufacturing Engineering Projects. He officially retired in 2005 but continued working as a contract employee.Ty encouraged the family in outdoor activities and especially an appreciation of nature. Full participation was expected each spring in the planting of an extensive garden, the produce of which was enjoyed by family and shared with friends. He loved to cook and was fearless in creating Ty’s cuisine. His signature dishes were oyster stew and mac and cheese with decadent amounts of butter and cheese. No food existed that couldn’t be grilled! Some of his favorite pastimes included spending time with family and friends, especially hunting and fishing. Many evenings were spent around a campfire at the lease making s’mores and sharing stories..The family extends a special “thank you” to the Memory Care staff at Heartis and Encompass hospice for their compassionate and dedicated care of our husband, dad, and granddad.Survivors: He is survived by his wife, Susan Keithley; children, Anne-Marie Keithley, Natalie Keithley, and Mark Keithley; granddaughter, Katherine Keithley.