Robert Keys Obituary

Keys
Robert Douglas Keys
July 25, 2023

Robert "Bob" Keys passed away from natural causes at his home on July 25th. He is preceded in death by his wife Diana, brothers Denny and Pat, and parents Margaret and Carl. He is survived by his son John, daughter in law Kathy, and grandchildren Jack, Will and Annie, who live in Sacramento, CA. He is also survived by his youngest brother Mike and wife Edie, sisters-in-law Helen Keys and Jean Keys, and 12 nieces and nephews.
Born in Denver, Bob graduated from North High School in 1946. He enlisted in the U.S. AirForce, serving 6 years as Master Sergeant in the states and abroad in North Africa. After the service he attended the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Colorado, earning a BS in Mechanical Engineering. While attending school, he started working as an engineer for the Martin Company in Littleton. It was there he met Diana Mae Torkelson, his future wife of 62 years. They married in 1959, settled in Littleton and had their only child John in 1960.
While at Martin, he worked on most of NASA's space programs, from Gemini to Apollo, Skylab and the Viking Mars lander. Bob retired from Lockheed Martin in 1992, two years after moving to Colorado Springs. He and Diana loved to travel, visiting more than 35 countries over the next 25 years. Bob was an avid outdoorsman. He climbed all 58 "14ers" in Colorado, and was an active cyclist, even participating in the "Ride The Rockies" race at age 80. He was a skier and an accomplished photographer.
He and Diana were active members in First Lutheran Church for nearly 30 years, supporting its many philanthropic and community outreach programs. Bob was a devoted caregiver to Diana in her final years. Always ready with a story to share or willing to lend a hand, we will all miss him.
Services will be held at First Lutheran Church on Monday, September 18th at 10a, with a reception to follow.