MUNKEI KETON

MUNKEI KETON Munkei "Moon" Leposo Keton was born to Sitatian and Leposo Keton on June 8, 1972, in a traditional Maasai hut on the drought-stricken plains of Eastern Africa near Kajiado, Kenya. Less than a year later when a famine threatened the lives of many children in the region, Munkei was placed in the care of Christian missionaries from the United States, John and Kathy Dillman, who fostered him for seven years in Kenya before formally adopting him, the first exception to a Kenyan law forbidding cross-racial adoptions. Munkei subsequently moved with his adoptive parents to the United States where he became a naturalized American citizen. Educated at International Studies Academy in San Francisco and San Jose State University, Munkei enjoyed a successful first career as security manager for Nordstrom. Responding to a dream, he later worked his way through IT boot camp to pursue a technical career with General Motors in the development and testing of their self-driving Cruise automobile. Known to many as a gentle, soft-spoken, understated individual, Munkei was a gregarious, loving person, committed to his friends and neighbors. He participated as a youth in the San Francisco Boys Chorus, became a member of Nineteenth Avenue Baptist Church, served in community conflict resolution as a teenager, and was active in the youth group of First Baptist Church of San Francisco. He collected guns, enjoyed owning and restoring vehicles, became a champion at billiards, and over his lifetime adopted three German shepherds, all rescues. Munkei, a long-time resident of Concord, California, passed away at the age of 51 due to respiratory issues on Sunday, November 5, 2023. He was preceded in death by his birth father, Leposo Keton; a brother, Lewama Keton; grandparents, Glen and Aurille (Blackman) Dillman and Carl and Eugenia (Dowell) Wisler; and uncles Ernest Dillman and David Dillman. He is survived by his birth mother, Sitatian Keton; brothers, Kintalel Keton, Orugoi Keton, and Lorinke Keton; sisters Momary and Semeten; his adoptive parents, John Dillman and Kathy (Wisler) Dillman; aunts Carla Joy (Wisler Smith) Coffin and Karen (Smith Dillman) Ehnert; an uncle, Meredith "Bud" Wisler; many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews; and his faithful canine companion, Boo-Boo. Details regarding a memorial service to be held in the new year will be forthcoming.