Theodore W "Ted" Keithley
Obituaries
The Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - March 31, 2019
Theodore W. "Ted" Keithley January 17, 1944 - March 11, 2019
Ted Keithley passed away at HopeWest Hospice on March 11, 2019. He was born in Grand Junction, Colorado to Theodore A. Keithley and Margaret L. Pinkard Keithley on January 17, 1944. He was the seventh of eight children and grew up on a small farm. Ted attended local schools, and graduated from Grand Junction High School in 1962. As a teenager, Ted had an interest in electronics, and built crystal radios for a hobby. Ted had an enduring curiosity to know how things worked on a wide range of topics, however his real passion in life was always motorcycles, especially his beloved Harley Davidsons. While still in high school, he bought his first Harley 45, which started a lifelong interest in building, repairing, racing, and riding Harleys. He started his career as a motorcycle mechanic at a Honda shop in Grand Junction and then in Anchorage, Alaska. In 1967 Uncle Sam called and Ted served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, stationed in Germany at a missile defense base. After an honorable discharge, Ted once again started working as a motorcycle mechanic. The largest part of Ted’s career was spent at CM&H Cycles and then McDonald Harley Davidson, both in Grand Junction. Ted was regarded as an "expert" in all Harley Davidson mechanical or historical matters. He was very mechanically innovative, figuring out how to operate the engine electrical system directly off the end of the camshaft several years before the Harley Factory started making that change. Ted was a world class story teller. He would keep his family and friends entertained for hours telling about his life experiences when growing up, family hunting trips, life in the Army, riding dirt bikes on the desert, or any one of his cross country motorcycle trips. He also had numerous lifelong friends, most of whom he met through his motorcycle connections. Preceding Ted in death are his parents, Theodore and Margaret Keithley; brothers, Bill and Jack, and sisters, Nadine Maglietti and Betty Brown. Surviving are his sisters, Frances Baughman, Carol White, and Theresa Mathews, all of Grand Junction, and 27 nephews and nieces Although Ted was never married, he had a relationship with Linda Lamb in the 1980’s which ended many years ago, however Linda’s daughters, Wendy, Jill, and Tara, remained close to Ted for the rest of his life. The Keithley family would like to thank the medical team at the VA Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital as well as staff at HopeWest Hospice for the compassionate care they gave Ted. Memorial contributions can be made to HopeWest Hospice, in his name. Services are pending.
