Keith Allen Engleman, a longtime Denver and Boulder resident, died on Nov. 13, 2024, at age 99.
Keith was born April 10, 1925, in Lichfield, Nebraska, the youngest of three siblings. His sisters, Blanche and Eleanor, were 20 and 10 years older than Keith, respectively. He graduated from his high school class of 17 in 1942.
Keith attended Nebraska Wesleyan University, graduating after a stint in the U.S. Army. His slender size led to his being nicknamed “Skeeter,” a name that stuck for the rest of his life.
It was at Nebraska Wesleyan where he met Edythe Cochran (“Edie”), and they were married on July 25, 1950. Skeeter and Edie followed his eldest sister, Blanche, to Colorado, settling in Denver. Keith eventually became a sales manager in the school supply business, working in that role for various companies until his retirement in 1990. Edie worked as a chemist for the U.S. Geological Survey, with a career break to raise their three children: Mark, Chris and Craig.
Keith and Edie loved to travel and made it a priority to take family holidays throughout the United States and Canada. They traveled extensively across all continents, particularly after their retirement, and gained a large number of international friends whom they regularly visited or hosted.
Keith and Edie moved to Boulder in 2006 to the Vistoso condominiums, where they established further friendships. They were regular walkers throughout their neighborhood, becoming widely known to many residents on their four-mile route. They continued to travel until Edie’s health declined, and she died in August 2021. Keith reflected that he had lost the love of his life— his soulmate of 71 years. But he continued to live independently, walk, visit with friends and family and travel, including a trip to England in September, up until a few weeks before his death.
He was immensely proud of his children and enjoyed visiting with their friends, listening to his musician son Chris’s various gigs, and watching both professional sports and his granddaughter Drue’s hockey matches. He was extremely proud of his grandchildren — Jeremy, Nick, Drue, Chris and Sam — and his great-grandson, Andrés.
He had a dry and mischievous sense of humor and loved to tell stories of his “bad boy” experiences growing up in Nebraska. He was loved by all his children and grandchildren and will be greatly missed.