Keith Kester Obituary

October 4, 1939 July 17, 2020
Keith Bruce Kester, Em to his daughters, passed away on July 17, 2020. He was born and raised in the midwest to parents Bruce and Hazel along with his two younger brothers. A long full life dedicated to education included his undergraduate years at Grinnell College and continued at Harvard University where he received his PhD in Chemistry in 1968. During his time at Har-vard Keith had to decide on a career path between two lifelong passions, science and religion. Keith went on to an impressive career at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO as Professor of Chemistry from the time he graduated from Harvard in 1968 to his retirement in 2012. Fortunately as a professor at Colorado College he found a way to combine the two by collaborating with the religion department and was very active in the community with several organizations such as the New Earth Covenant Community, a Rocky Flats clean-up project, and the Society for Religion in Higher Education. Nature and the environment were also very important to Keith, and he was a true Coloradan at heart as you could frequently find him outdoors enjoying this beautiful state on a hike. Family often accompanied him on those hikes and was very important to him. Keith and his two brothers made the time to get together for several brothers reun-ions over the years that they all enjoyed and that brought them all closer together. He will be greatly missed by all, especially by his surviving wife, Salwa; his daughters Jennifer and Jill; his son-in-law Frank; his brothers Terry and Rodger; his first wife Phyllis; and eight cousins on his father's side.
In this pain all of us are trying to understand the best and warm-est of our memories and our loss. There is hope, so long as we share love. Keith tried to offer understanding for all of us. Keith really wanted to vote this election year, so please vote.
A small service will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 5th at Saint John's Cathedral, 1350 N. Washington St., Denver, CO 80203. The service will be held outdoors and limited to 50 attendees due to Covid-19.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Keith's memory may be made to the League of Conservation Voters, https://www.lcv.org.