Keith Grant Dubendorf passed away at his home in Greenbank, WA on Saturday October 12th, 2024 at the age of 89.
Keith was born May 10, 1935 at Tacoma General Hospital to William & Zenia Dubendorf and spent all of his formative years in Olympia, WA living on SleaterKinney Road. ‘Grandpa Duby’ and ‘Boppa Teeth’, as he was known by his grandkids, had an early love of building models and especially planes.
Keith graduated from Olympia High School in 1953 and went on to St. Martin’s College. From there he served in the army and spent 2 years in Korea. After his Army career, he enrolled at the University of Washington. At the UW, he earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and it was there that he met a girl, Shirley, that he loved even more than planes. They married in 1962 at University Christian Church in Seattle.
Did I mention that Keith loved planes? Keith spent most of his professional career at Boeing as an engineer designing sections of many planes including the Super Sonic Transport, various versions of the 747, and the 767. Keith was one of the “747 Incredibles” (worth a Google search). When he wasn’t designing planes for Boeing, he loved designing, building and flying radio control planes with others. He even belonged to both the Whidbey Island Radio Control Society (WIRCS) and Snohomish Radio Aero Club (SRAC) at the same time.
Keith never sat still. He would run with friends during his lunch break. He was also part of the ‘Good Samaritans’ at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood, helping neighbors during rough times.
Keith loved his family dearly and dedicated all of his free time to being with his boys. He was an avid skier and instilled a love of skiing in his kids. He spent many winters teaching them to ski and then driving them to races all over the Northwest as they progressed in ski racing. He coached multiple basketball and baseball teams. He was a chief in the YMCA Indian Guides. He was an Assistant Scout Master in Boy Scout Troop 325 and helped lead the boys on three 50-mile treks. Two were on the Cascade Crest Trail and the other one on the Skagit river.
In 1999, upon retirement, Keith and Shirley moved to Whidbey Island and built their dream house where numerous family gatherings, holidays and celebration parties happened throughout the years. His generous and giving nature continued on Whidbey. He and Shirley joined Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland where he was an active member in several groups. He assisted with the Boy Scouts, opened the gym to the indoor radio control flying club (did we mention that he liked planes?), and spent many years splitting wood and making friends with the ‘Wood Cutters’ in Trinity Lutheran Church’s Firewood Ministry.
Keith is survived by his wife Shirley, sons Willy, Darin and Mark, their wives Heather, Laura and Debbie and grandchildren Isla, Aengus, Noelle, Claire, Elli and Isaac.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland, WA on November 16th, 2024 at 1:00pm. There will be a reception at the church immediately following the service and a gathering at the home of Keith and Shirley after the reception.
