Keith George Ragsdale

Keith George Ragsdale Sept. 13, 1939 - Oct. 3, 2006 Resident of Lafayette Keith George Ragsdale died peacefully at his house in Lafayette, Calif., on October 3, 2006 surrounded by his family after a long battle with cancer. Keith was born on September 13, 1939 in Bakersfield, Calif., to parents, George and Emma Ragsdale. His loving wife of 20 years, Mary; their children, William and Grace Ragsdale; and his daughter, Kelly Ragsdale of Longview, Wash., survive him. Also surviving him is his mother, Emma Sturgis of Bakersfield, Calif.; sister, Shirley (Don) Wierman of San Diego, Calif.; and sister, Linda (James) Smith of Wichita, Kansas. Keith held a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from San Jose State University, and an MBA from the University of Alaska. Keith joined the U.S Army at age 17, serving two of his three years in Germany. Upon his discharge, he worked in the telecommunications industry in the San Jose area. He moved to Alaska in 1970 where he established a successful consulting firm designing many of the telecommunications systems in Alaska. He returned to California in 1981 when he sold his company to CP National Corporation, retiring two years later. After he and Mary married in 1986, they spent several months cruising their boat to Acapulco and back. In 1997, Keith returned to work taking a position with the California Public Utilities Commission. A celebration of Keith's life will be held Sunday, October 8, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. at Hull's Walnut Creek Chapel, 1139 Saranap Ave., in Walnut Creek. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made in Keith's memory to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Christ the King Catholic Church, 199 Brandon Road, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. Hull's Walnut Creek Chapel (925) 934-5400