During the past couple of days, I've been working on a story about the death of Thaves. He had suffered two heart attacks since September. He was married to Liz and had three children, Alisa, Jeff, and Chris. The story will be published in the Feb. 7 print edition.
But there was so much to say about Thaves that I couldn't get it all into the paper, even with the family's obituary in addition to my story.
Here's what his family had to say about him:
Memories of Dad from his family …
From Liz: He was a hard working, productive man. He loved his family and his work. He believed that the small town local newspaper should be local.
From Alisa: Dad was a family oriented man and tried to be home for evenings and weekends. He was a gracious and hospitable host opening his house to foreign exchange students three different times and adult guests from Japan and Germany.
From Jeff: Dad was part of that Greatest Generation. Members of this group were born during World War I, teenagers during The Great Depression and young adults during World War II. Those events go a long way to shaping your beliefs and values.
From Chris: Dad lived a life in a continually growing faith that resulted in a harvest of righteousness and peace in his life.
On Family …
Whether the five of us around the dinner table or with the Grandma’s and Grandpa’s, Aunts and Uncles, cousins and others for reunions or holidays. We seemed to have people visiting our house regularly. Family was very strong in Dad’s upbringing, the keeping in touch and getting together. This is likely from several experiences in his own childhood, including the death of a cousin when he was a teenager and his own father when he was 22, plus his mother’s experience of loosing her parents at a very young age. Dad still kept in touch writing to his brother until Bob’s death in 2005 and with his sister Virginia until he was unable to do so this past fall.
Over the past 10 years, Dad wrote on his computer about many memories from his childhood and shared those stories with his family. He wrote about the weekly social events in town when he was growing up: a band would play at the octagonal bandstand that was wheeled to the center of town; Sunday afternoon picnics in the city park after church. The men wore suits and hats and the women wore dresses.
Dad wanted to establish himself with a career to support a family and was 43 years old when he decided the time was right to get married and start a family. Dad did a lot with us growing up and he also really enjoyed his seven grandchildren. From sporting events to band concerts, choir concerts, plays, banquets and graduations; it was all important to him. He would have really enjoyed seeing the next generation start their own families.
On faith…
Dad had a very strong belief in his faith. Not just going to church, but being involved. It was something that was even more important to him as each of his children started their own families. He would talk with me about his feelings on attending church, baptism and confirmation. Up until this last August, he was a very active member of his church in Jordan. Ninety years old and he would drive himself to church each week because he was needed to help out with the Sunday school programs.
On involvement and giving …
He tried to show us that giving back to the community and being involved with activities and people was important. He was involved in many local groups (Lions Club, Commercial Club, American Legion, etc) and was more than just a member who attended meetings.
Here's what Stan Rolfsrud, president of Southwest Newspapers, had to say about Thaves: "For a short time in the late 1970s, Mr. Thaves served on the Board of Directors of the fledgling Southwest Suburban Publishing Inc., a group of newspapers from Chaska, Eden Prairie, Prior Lake and Jordan. It was the forerunner of Southwest Newspapers, now owned by Red Wing Publishing. I got to know Keith then. He was a gentleman who took pride in his work and the responsibility it gave him. He was a very good-natured, positive person, looking for the best in everyone. He was among the last of an era of independent, main street publishers challenged by drastic changes to the industry. He was genuine, loved newspapers and his community."
Here's some of what former Jordan band director Cliff Klehr said about Thaves:
Klehr will always remember when Thaves chaperoned a band trip to the Cotton Bowl.
"I can remember the pictures ...," Klehr said.
The newspaperman reported on what the students were doing, even though pretty much everyone on the trip was sick with the flu and there was awful, rainy, 35-degree Fahrenheit weather. He focused on the students, not the director, keeping a record of events along the way.
He was a humble man who didn't need a pat on the back.
"He never let you know he was important. He was very quiet. He just went about his job."
Klehr also said:
- He visited the Thaves house -- "just a gorgeous place" -- for parties with other teachers, including Liz. Thaves was always supportive of the band and on top of its activities.
- He wrote his own biography, of which the Klehrs have a copy. "He wrote so well, and he loved it."
- "You could always be yourself around Keith."
- At the hospital, he had no appetite and thus kept losing weight. But he was alert, showed thanks for visits, and smiled.
- Thaves was an integral part of the clubs he joined.
Here's some of what Cindy Lind, a first-grade teacher at Jordan Elementary School, said about Thaves:
Around school, he is affectionately known as Grandpa Keith. He volunteered once a week for the past four years (twice a week the first year), tutoring in spelling, reading, math, and checkers. Yes, checkers.<
While most of the class went outside for recess, a few children would play checkers with Thaves.<
"They would ask to stay in and play checkers. That was a big deal," Lind said. "They wanted to win, and they never did."
Thaves would've let the students win sometimes, but Lind said they should learn from a better player and win legitimately.
She also said:
- It took Thaves a long time to walk from the front door to her room, which is in the furthest corner of the new addition at the school, because everyone wanted to talk to him. But he came "always at 9 o'clock. Never a minute late."
- He worked with any child, from the most enriched to those who need more help.
- Students who were going to meet with Thaves had their name on a list at his table in the hallway. If their name was missing from the list on a day when they were supposed to be meeting with him, the student would most certainly pipe up. They didn't want to miss out on talking with Grandpa Keith.
- "He was the most humble man I have ever met."
- As the children left the classroom, he'd get down on his knees -- not an easy thing for a man who is advanced in years to do -- and dish out high fives. "We all learned a lot of lessons from Grandpa Keith. He'd always say, 'Good job, boys and girls.'"
- "He meant so much to this whole community."
- "I'd always say, 'Grandpa, are you coming back next year?' and he'd say, 'Oh, if you'll have me.'"
- When Thaves had to stay in the hospital, Lind's class wrote a letter, saying "We need you, Grandpa Keith." He and Lind kept planning for his return to the classroom.
- He had a positive outlook on life.
- Thaves told Lind that relationships are important. "He really lived by that."
Do you have any remembrances of Keith Thaves that you want to share?