Keith Lloyd LaMotte

1938 - 2020

LaMotte, Keith Lloyd

November 12, 1938 - July 30, 2020

On the night of July 30, 2020, our beloved Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle and Friend, Keith LaMotte, passed away at his home in Spokane at the age of 81, after a courageous battle with cancer. All three of his children were by his side when he went home to be with the Lord.

Keith Lloyd LaMotte was born in Los Angeles, California in 1938 to Donald and LuVerne LaMotte. He was the third of four children and the youngest of three sons. He grew up in the L.A. suburb of Altadena, CA, just north of Pasadena. He was part of a musical family and learned how to play the trumpet at the age of 10. He performed in big bands, symphonic bands and in his High School Marching Band, and he founded a swing band called the Rhythm Kings with his brother Allan, who played the trombone. He also marched with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Marching Band from the ages of 13 to 21 when his father served on the Tournament's Board of Directors. In addition to music, Keith played various sports and excelled in baseball.

After graduating from John Muir High School in 1956, Keith attended Pasadena City College for two years, where he played the trumpet for the college big band and played on the baseball team. He then transferred to UC-Santa Barbara where he continued to play trumpet in the college big band and joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. He earned a spot on the UCSB baseball team but never played, due to a knee injury. When Keith graduated in January of 1961, he was selected to play in Stan Kenton's Big Band, thanks to a connection with his college brass instructor. He spent the next two years touring with Kenton's Jazz Orchestra, first playing the mellophonium and then the trumpet. He was also a part of many of Kenton's recordings from 1961-1962, including his famous West Side Story album.

Shortly before he left to go on tour in the winter of 1961, Keith met a young woman named Caroline Hamilton at a UCSB dance. He was instantly captivated by her but had already made his commitment to the Kenton Orchestra. When he returned home two years later, he looked Caroline up, and they went on their first date. They were married on May 1, 1964 and moved to Fullerton, CA where their daughter Andrea was born. They relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1966 where their daughter Jennifer and son Brady were born. This is also where Keith began his 14-year career in office equipment sales and management with IBM. In 1975, after a two-year return to Southern California, the family moved to Spokane. Keith and Caroline raised their children and lived in the same home on the South Hill for 44 years, until Caroline's unexpected passing on April 6, 2019.

From the moment he arrived in Spokane, Keith etched his footprint on the local jazz music scene by co-founding the Spokane Jazz Society, which later evolved into the Spokane Jazz Orchestra. He remained a mainstay in the trumpet section of this group until he retired in 2018. The SJO performed with legendary acts like Bob Hope, George Burns and Mel Torme. Keith's music ventures also included founding the Jazz-Rock Fusion band "The Rhythm Method" and serving as a trumpet player and arranger in multiple church bands.

In 1981, after 14 years with IBM, Keith ventured out on his own as an independent manufacturer's representative for Jostens Corporate Recognition Division. He later added Jostens College Division and Advertising Specialties to his business, and he thrived in all of these until his retirement in 2001.

Beginning in the late 1970s, Keith and Caroline became avid supporters of WSU Athletics, attending most Cougar football games and eventually becoming regulars at the RV lot across the street from Martin Stadium. All of Keith's children attended WSU in the 1980s. Keith showcased his musical talents, waking up the RV lot every Saturday morning by playing the Cougar Fight Song on his trumpet. He played it again during pre-game rallies in the Hollingbery Fieldhouse, earning the title "Cougar Trumpet Dude" from WSU students. He also played the fight song at the end of Cougar Club luncheons in Spokane.

Keith possessed extraordinary handyman and carpenter skills, which he learned as a kid by following his father around the back yard and by helping him with building projects. He built a wooden deck over the patio and front porch of every house he and his family owned, including the family cabin on the Pend Oreille River. This cabin was a great source of pride and joy for Keith and Caroline, and they spent many a summer weekend there working to fix it up but also entertaining family and friends. They always spoke highly of the great Pacific Northwest and would never hesitate to tell relatives (most of whom resided in Southern California) that "Spokane is the greatest place on Earth to live." Their advocacy paid off, as siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews have followed them to Spokane over the past four decades. This has resulted in over 50 relatives who now live here.

Keith was the true patriarch of his family and was devoted to his wife, three children and seven grandchildren. He was always young and vibrant for his age. He lived life passionately for his Lord, his family, friends and community. He did so with a loving and encouraging heart, a spirit of eternal optimism, the courage and strength to stand up for his beliefs, and a timely sense of humor when people needed it most. He spent the final year of his life with unshakeable joy and thankfulness for the life God gave him, even in the face of the heartbreaking loss of his wife. In June, when he learned his cancer was terminal, he was completely at peace and showed nothing but courage, grace, gratitude, and his great sense of humor to the very end. We praise God for the amazing blessing he was to our family, and we rejoice that he is reunited with Mom. We love them so much, and we will miss them every day until we see them again when the Lord calls us all home.

Keith was preceded in death by Caroline LaMotte, his loving wife of 55 years, his father Donald LaMotte, and his mother LuVerne LaMotte. He is survived by his daughter Andrea Lester of Spokane (husband Dave and sons Justin, Brandon [fiancé Riley Brown] and Jordan); his daughter Jennifer Gerety of Spokane (husband Rick, sons Michael [wife Kristen] and Tanner [wife Madelyn] and daughter Shannon); and his son Brady LaMotte of Everett (wife Carrie and son Jordan). He is also survived by his brother Bryce LaMotte (wife Betty) of Spokane, his brother Allan LaMotte (wife Jan) of Coronado, CA, and his sister Donna Anderson (husband Terry) of Godeffroy, NY, along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Due to the restrictions of COVID-19, we will not have an in-person celebration of Keith's life at this time. Instead, please join us on Friday, August 21st at 7:00 PM for a live-stream memorial.

The link for the memorial is: https://youtu.be/UHuc2Ap3BMw

In lieu of flowers, you can honor Keith's memory with a donation to: Hospice of Spokane (https://www.hospiceofspokane.org/) or Spokane Jazz Orchestra (https://www.spokanejazz.org/)