Keith Malcolm Schleh, 81, a 12-year resident of Whidbey Island, died June 6, 2003, at Careage of Whidbey.

Mr. Schleh was born Feb. 17, 1922, in Omaha, Neb., to Vernon S. Schleh and Myrtle Alice (Swenson) Schleh. He was raised in Omaha, where he attended high school. He served in the Army during World War II, and was injured in action during the Battle of the Bulge. He received a battlefield commission of lieutenant. Also during World War II, Mr. Schleh’s only brother, Robert, was killed in a prisoner of war camp in the Philippines, after being shot down over the Gulf of Leyte. His remains were only recently recovered.

Following the war, Mr. Schleh served in the Army Signal Corps in Alaska and Philadelphia. He retired with the rank of captain. He received a bachelor of science degree in 1949 from the University of Denver. He married Ruth E. Nelson on March 23, 1947, in Fort Collins, Colo. The couple moved to Bellevue in 1960, and resided there until 1988. He was employed as a sales engineer for Curtiss-Wright and Boeing for a number of years. He was also a real estate appraiser.

Mr. Schleh was a 40-year member of the Whidbey Island Lodge 15, F&AM; Elks Lodge 2362; was a member of the Independent Fee Appraisers since 1977, and was president of the Seattle Chapter in 1980; was president of the Shangri-La Association; was an officer in the Central Whidbey Sportsmen’s Association, in which he was a lifetime member; was a member of the National Rifle Association; and was a member of Ducks Unlimited. He was also a member of the Whidbey Presbyterian Church.

He loved Whidbey Island. He enjoyed fishing and bird hunting with his Labrador retriever.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth, at home; a son, Malcolm Schleh and wife Debby Spaine of Tehachapi, Calif.; two daughters, Janet George and husband Klaus of Flensburg, Germany, and Barbara Hudson and husband Mark of Seattle; and four grandchildren, Joshua and Meagan Schleh, and Eileen George and Kevin Hudson.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Interment will be at Sunnyside Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 4414 Woodland Park Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103; or to Ducks Unlimited, One Waterfall Way, Memphis, TN 38120. Arrangements and cremation under the direction of Burley Funeral Chapel.