- Date Of Birth: March 29, 1923
- Date Of Death: March 2, 2017
- State: Florida
Francis “Frank” Lovell Keith, 93, passed away peacefully at his home in Melbourne, FL on Thursday March 2, 2017, a few days after a stroke.
He was born in Middleboro, Massachusetts on March 29, 1923. He graduated from Memorial High School before leaving Massachusetts in 1943 to attend the United States Naval Academy.
Due to the war effort, his class of 1947 was accelerated and graduated June 5, 1946. He was proudly commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy. Frank was married to Anne Cronin at the Naval Academy Chapel on June 12, 1948.
He received his Naval Aviator wings and served with squadrons across the country as a pilot and commander of various aircraft, including the P-2V Neptune, S-2F Tracker, and EC-121 Constellation Warning Star until his military retirement in 1966.
From 1966 – 1976, he served as a tracking systems engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland with the team managing the Apollo moon landings and Apollo-Soyuz missions. During this time, he attended evening classes at the University of Maryland, earning a Master’s Degree in History. After leaving NASA, he was employed by TRW until his final retirement to Florida in 1985.
Frank was involved with various organizations, including Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Association of Naval Aviators (ANA), Lion’s Club, and Meals on Wheels. In 1989, he and Anne were among the early residents of Indian River Colony Club. Frank served on the board of IRCC for several years and was involved with a variety of organizations there. He enjoyed golf, reading, and crossword puzzles.
His beloved spouse, Anne, survives him in their home at IRCC. In addition, he is survived by his sons David Alden Keith, Peter Edward Keith, Robert Douglas Keith and his daughter Lucy Anne Keith Schor, as well as eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
