M. Keith Hamilton began his Earthly adventure on August 15, 1954 in Mesa, Arizona. He was the first child born to Rowland and Mary Louise Hamilton. This sweet, innocent child brought more love and joy to his parents than they had ever known.

Keith wasn't an only child long. His brother, Kim, was born less than two years later. That's when the real fun began! Keith and Kim found many ways to occupy their time and challenge their parents.

One Sunday afternoon their mom and dad awoke from a nap to the pitter-patter of little feet. Mary Lou came out to find their blue and white bathroom was now orange. She then followed orange footprints to the back yard to find the rocking horse their dad made for them and two boys covered in orange, oil-based paint, along with the back patio, living room, dining room and hallway. They had tried to tap the lid on the paint can just like they had seen their dad do many times. Of course, they turned it over to ensure the lid was on tight – and it wasn't!

Keith and Kim were later joined by their sisters, Chris, in 1958 and Capri in 1962. Keith was a very loving and helpful big brother, but not always the best example.

Early in his life, Keith had an interest in comic book Super Heros. He always had a hidden desire to gain super powers. One day Keith took all of the handkerchiefs he could find in his dad's drawer, tied them all together and then attached drapery cord to the four corners. Keith climbed on the roof and, thinking he was invincible, jumped off with his newly built parachute. Fortunately he had dragged his sister's mattress into the yard – just in case.

Keith began to demonstrate heroic traits at an early age.

When Keith was 8 years old, began his many years of Scouting. He learned to love the outdoors, and developed many skills that he would use throughout his life in service to others.

When Keith was about 12 he had one of his first opportunities to use his newly acquired first aid skills. While playing with some friends in the school yard across the street from home, one boy stumbled, putting his hand through a window and badly cutting his wrist. The boy kept asking when he was going to die because he thought that a cut to the wrist was a fatal injury. A neighbor came to help and saw Keith run home. She thought Keith was scared, but he soon returned with his dad's cleanest handkerchief and quickly tied a tourniquet around the injured boy's wrist, saving the day!

When he ran out of opportunities to use his knowledge of first aid, Keith became a member of the school wrestling team, possibly to create more opportunities to administer first aid. Keith spent many years "practicing" on his younger brother, and then wrestled competitively through high school. He eventually placed 4^th in the State in the 98 pound weight class.

Keith's desire to help others became very apparent after he got his driver's license. Whenever he saw hardships like storms or power outages, he would take off in his car hoping to find opportunities to help others. On extremely hot days, he would often load bottles of water in his car and drive up and down the highway. He became a hero to many stranded motorists. Keith would never accept anything in return, but would encourage those who offered to just help someone else.

During his teenage years, Keith was heavily involved in community and Church activities. He participated in dance festivals, acted in road shows, sang in quartets, performed at recitals and even sang a solo in a Church musical production.

Keith celebrated New Year's Day 1972 with his best friend, Paul Bond, by going to Carney Springs near the Superstition Mountains. They gathered a small arsenal and spent the day shooting. They shot off so many rounds of ammunition that neither one's hearing was ever the same. They also found a cave inhabited by bats. They stood just outside the cave waiting for the bats to fly out and then swung at them with sticks. Keith eventually hit one and it fell to the ground stunned. Knowing that bats sleep upside down, Keith tied the bat to Paul's girlfriend's hair ribbon that was hanging from the rearview mirror and brought it home. He affectionately named his new pet bat "Murdermore People."

Keith graduated from Mesa High School in 1972.

At the age of 19, he left Mesa to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Nova Scotia, Canada. He loved to share his testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who would listen. One particularly rainy day, Keith's shoes got very wet. He decided to dry them by putting them in the oven, but soon realized that may not have been the best plan as his shoes became fully engulfed in flames. Before extinguishing the fire, however, he carried his flaming shoes outside on a shovel so he could take pictures to send home to his family. This experience may have been the beginning of Keith's fascination with fire.

After returning home from his mission, Keith married and then celebrated the birth of his first child the following year. His sweet daughter, Mandi LaReese was born on May 2, 1978, in Mesa, Arizona. Keith then moved his family to Nampa, Idaho, where he worked in the dairy industry for several years. While living in Idaho, two more children joined his family: Aaron Keith, born June 19, 1979, and Aubrey Danelle, born February 25, 1982.

A short time later, Keith decided to move his family back home to Mesa to further his education. He attended DeVry Institute of Technology for two years, where he studied computer technology and repair. He was fortunate to be able to apply his training in electronics when he accepted a position with TRW in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While there, Keith welcomed his fourth child, Jordan Kyle, on June 24, 1986.

Shortly after Jordan was born, Keith settled in Bayfield, Colorado, where he loved spending time with his children in the outdoors. They enjoyed many camping and river trips. He shared his sense of adventure with his kids by teaching them the fine art of "river boarding". He would tie one end of a rope to a bridge and the other end to a boogie board, then surf against the current of the river.

One particularly memorable family reunion was spent camping on the bank of the Piedra River near Pagosa Springs. Jordan had recently turned eight years old and was ready to be baptized. Keith, a true spiritual hero to his family, saw this as an opportunity to follow the example of the Savior. He was able to baptize Jordan in the river, which affectionately became known to them as, "The River Jordan."

Keith's desire to serve and help others prompted him to get training as an Emergency Medical Technician. He also became a volunteer with the Upper Pine River Fire Department. Excited and prepared for any emergency or rescue situation, Keith jumped at every opportunity to assist those in need.

One Easter weekend, Keith (who had recently divorced) took his kids to spend time with his sister Capri's family who were vacationing in Pagosa Springs. While relaxing and soaking in the hot springs, the electricity went out in the whole town. Shortly after getting back to the hotel, Keith heard the sirens of several emergency vehicles as they rushed through town. He jumped in his car and followed them to the scene of a terrible accident. The emergency personnel were treating a woman who kept asking about her husband. No one had seen another accident victim, so they began to search the area. The husband was finally located, having been ejected from the vehicle, and it was determined his airway was restricted. Everyone knew he needed a tracheotomy to survive, but none of the EMT's, including Keith had ever performed the procedure. The others were hesitant, but Keith stepped up and performed the tracheotomy. Keith's quick, heroic actions kept the man alive and breathing until he could be transported.

During his years as a volunteer fire fighter, Keith battled many blazes that included not only structure fires but the famous Missionary Ridge Fire that came within 150 feet of his own home. Whenever the training burn of a donated structure was scheduled, Keith loved to be the one who started it!! Most importantly the fire fighters with whom he served knew that if Keith was working a fire he "had their backs."

In the spring of 1996, Keith began to notice a pretty young woman who attended his Church. He found many excuses to go to the church library each Sunday morning where Kimberlee Kennedy Pennell would be copying the Sunday program. Kimberlee, on the other hand, had been praying that someone would come into her life that would love her and her 2 ½ year old daughter, Sierra Lee Pennell. Keith finally got the courage to call her and ask her out on a date. He was the answer to her prayers.

Keith picked up Kimberlee the following Saturday and they set out for Cortez to attend a fireside. She quickly saw his Super Hero qualities when they stopped at a car accident on the way. Instinctively, Keith pulled over and jumped out of the car. He asked Kim to grab his medical bag out of the back of his old Suburban. In dress and heels, Kim had to climb over the seats to get to the medical bag. This was the first of many acts of heroism Kim would see Keith do.

They continued on to the fireside and then went to dinner. On the way home, Keith announced that they would be picking up his daughter, Mandi, and her date from the prom. Kim realized quickly that Keith was no ordinary man, but was still quite intrigued by him. When they arrived at her house, Keith gave Kim a nice long hug and a kiss on the cheek.

They saw each other the next morning at Church and then Keith called every morning after that to wake her up, by singing, "Good morning to you, good morning to you!" He also dropped off flowers and left notes on her car were she was doing her student teaching. Keith knew a good thing when he saw it and was not about to lose out. When they finally had a chance to talk for hours on the phone after their first date, they discussed their life and eternal goals and found a strong bond was already forming between them.

Kimberlee surprised Keith the following Thursday by showing up at the new house he was building. Keith took her by the hand while they walked, talked and shared their first kiss. They always said they both saw stars and immediately knew they were soul mates.

Keith knew he had found the love of his life. He proposed to Kim within two weeks of their first date. Surrounded by their children, family members and friends, Keith and Kimberlee were married on June 7, 1996 at Decker Park near Vallecito Lake. They were inseparable from the moment they said, "I do." Their whirlwind romance didn't allow for a honeymoon at that time, but they knew eventually they would do something special together.

One month later, Keith went to Tru Value hardware and spent $13 for parts. He received a scratch card with his receipt. When he scratched the card, he found he had instantly won an all-expense paid trip for two to the Major League Baseball Allstar Game in Philadelphia. Keith and Kimberlee packed their bags and began the adventure of their life together.

Keith and Kim worked very hard and very quickly to combine their families while continuing to complete their new home. Sierra immediately felt comfortable with "Daddy Keith" and Mandi, Aaron, Aubrey and Jordan have grown to love Kimberlee, as well.

Keith and Kimberlee were sealed for eternity in the Manti Temple on their first anniversary, June 7, 1997. They celebrated the birth of their first child together when Taitin Keith was born on August 20, 1998. Their youngest child, Katera Leann, joined their family on June 16, 2001.

Throughout their marriage, finances were tight, but adventures flowed freely. In an effort to spend quality time together and unite their blended family, they took many family vacations, including two trips to see Grandma and Grandpa Hamilton in North Carolina and multiple trips to vacation sites in California, Las Vegas and New Mexico. They were often called the Disneyworld Family because of their numerous trips to Florida. They also spent a wonderful week in Hawaii, where Keith loved snorkeling and playing at the beach with his family.

Keith and Kimberlee had a Valentine's Day tradition where Kim and her friend Katie Minkler would plan a treasure hunt. Their husbands would have to decipher clues to find their sweet wives. Each year their adventure ended in a different location and with different activities, but always resulted in the treasured experience of a wonderful night alone.

Keith spent many years working with the physical facilities for the LDS Church and then was employed by Honeywell. He then started his own mechanical business known as Building Control Solutions. Most recently, Keith had been working as the director of maintenance for the Bloomfield School District. Through his work, he got to know many people throughout the four corners area and was loved by all. Everyone felt Keith cared about them personally and whatever situation he was sent to fix was the most important item of the day. He was their Super Hero.

Keith had always wanted to fly and nearly completed all of the training necessary to get his pilot's license. For his 50^th birthday, Kimberlee gave Keith a certificate for sky diving – with a real parachute, instead of handkerchiefs! He never had the opportunity to experience free falling, but now has the opportunity to soar with the angels.

Keith lived for his sweet wife and wonderful children. He made a special effort to spend time with each of them. They worked together, played together, wrestled together and more often than not, got a little crazy together. They loved to ride with him on his motorcycle, Prairie Dog jumping around the yard. His kids became thrill seekers because they had so much fun thrill-seeking with their dad.

Dating Keith's girls was an interesting event, when Mandi brought Gary to meet her dad for the first time, he met him at the door with a shotgun in one hand and a 45 in his belt. Aubrey didn't have it any easier, Kim set her up on a blind date and when he came to pick her up, Keith had been skinning a deer and met him at the door with a hunting knife in one hand and covered in blood. He looked at him and asked, "When are you bringing my daughter home?" Aubrey said he never called her back. Gary, on the on the other hand, married Mandi, so apparently he passed the "Keith" test.

Sierra and Keith developed a special relationship. He often thanked her for being one of his kids. He recently picked her up and while on their way home asked if she wanted dinner. When she said yes, he handed her a bag of marshmallows.

Taitin reminds everyone of Keith. Like Keith, Taitin is full of energy and incredibly generous. He has his father's wonderful sense of humor and loves to play tricks on people. Keith passed on his love for wrestling to Tait, who competes and wins regularly.

Katera is daddy's little girl and had him wrapped around her little finger. She would ask him to carry her sideways to bed. Katera would always go to Keith's side of the bed at night, because daddy couldn't resist his little girl. Keith would share his favorite Life Savers Wintergreen mints by biting into them and giving her half.

As each year passed, Keith and Kimberlee looked forward to spending a week alone together for their 10^th anniversary. This past May their dream came true as they went on a Caribbean Cruise. It was an amazing adventure that took them to the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Cozumel.

The highlight of the trip culminated one night after month's of preparation on Keith's part. Keith insisted that they spend one evening dancing at the 50's sock hop. Kim was a little confused but thought Keith and oldies seemed to go together and knew they would have fun no matter what they did. When the 50's music ended and the karaoke began, Kim was sure they would leave. Instead, Keith made sure they had seats right up front. He excused himself for a moment while Kim listened to the first performer. When the first song was done, Kimberlee was surprised as Keith walked out on stage. In front of about 300 people, Keith turned toward Kim and began to sing the Bryan Adam's song, "Everything I Do, I Do It for You." During a lull in the music, Keith walked toward Kim and gave her a dozen roses. At the end of the song he brought Kim on stage and knelt down in front of her. He presented her with a three-diamond anniversary ring representing their past, present and future together, and asked her to marry him all over again. They immediately became famous to the other passengers, and the envy of all the women on board who wished their husband's were as romantic. (I am sure there were a few husbands who wanted to throw him overboard.)

Not a day would pass without Keith telling Kimberlee how grateful he was that she loved him and how beautiful she was. They both felt and expressed every day that they were so blessed to have each other.

The last page of Keith's heroic adventure on Earth was written on January 5^th 2007.

He brought joy to the lives of everyone he met. There have been many stories and experiences shared that have shown the superhero characteristics he longed for since he was young. Since his death, countless people have come forward to share stories of courage, generosity and compassion that even his family was unaware of.

The words to the opening hymn perfectly summarize Keith's attitude about life:

Have I done any good in the world today?

Have I helped anyone in need?

Have I cheered up the sad, and made someone feel glad?

If not, I have failed indeed.

Has anyone's burden been lighter today, because I was willing to share?

Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?

When they needed my help was I there?

Keith truly was a superhero to many people in many different ways. Take a moment and think about why you came here today and how he impacted your life. What kind of superhero was he for you? His brother Kim says his superhero name should have been "Bailing Wire and Duct Tape Man".

Though his story has ended, his legacy continues. It is our hope that each one of us will leave here today with a resolve in our hearts to follow Keith's example by helping others whenever and wherever we can.