Gale Clevenger Kehmeier

KEHMEIER, GALE CLEVENGER Gale Clevenger Kehmeier died of heart failure Tuesday September 16, 2003, at Porter Hospice in Littleton; he was 85. The son of Dan and Hazel Kehmeier, he was born on a farm at Eckert, Colorado, March 15, 1918. He married Georgette Dean on March 22, 1942 in California. They had 3 children, a son Dean and daughters Gail and Melanie. They divorced in 1973. In October of 1974 he married Lucile Keyes in Denver, Colorado. Mr. Kehmeier graduated from high school in Eckert, Colorado in 1934 and received a Bachelors degree from Western State College in 1938. He served in the USAF United Airlines ATC Group from 1941-1943. In 1943, he moved to Denver. Mr. Kehmeier was a pilot for United Airlines from 1940 to 1965. He then flew for Ports of Call Travel Club from 1967 until his retirement in 1978. He was a celestial navigator for Ports of Call for several years after his retirement. While flying, Mr. Kehmeier also worked as a substitute teacher for the Denver Public School System. He was an active member of both the Colorado Mountain Club and Capital City Kiwanis for many years. Mr. Kehmeier served a term as president for both clubs. He also enjoyed Toastmasters Club in his later years. His passions were traveling, writing and hiking. He visited 110 countries and wrote hundreds of articles about traveling and history, many of which were published. Mr. Kehmeier was a colorful character who lived an adventuresome, exciting life and will be missed deeply by his family and friends. Survivors include a son Dean Kehmeier of Durango, Colorado, a daughter Melanie Roeder of Boulder, Colorado, 3 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter Gail Kehmeier in 1965 and his second wife Lucile in 2001. A memorial service will be held at the Presbyterian church in Eckert, Colorado, on October 16, at 10:30 a.m. Contributions may be made in his name to the: Colorado Mountain Club, 710 10th Street, Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401. "To go west, my friend, is a journey we all must take." Have a smooth flight Dad.