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Keith William Heldman
Keith William Heldman
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Keith Heldman Obituary
Keith was a remarkable individual who touched the lives of many with his kindness, wisdom, and unwavering dedication. He was born in Fargo, ND, where he spent his early years before embarking on a journey that would shape his remarkable life. Keith's service included playing music while enlisted in the US Navy. He received his Bachelor's degree in music at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles, and his Master's degree from San Diego State University. Keith began teaching music at La Jolla Country Day School in 1968 until he retired in 2003. After retirement and still full of energy, Keith became the accompanist at Poway High School. He was also a devoted caregiver to his ailing wife for many years until her death in 2017.
A man of many talents, Keith's professional career spanned several decades. He excelled in music, leaving a lasting impact on his colleagues, peers, and students. Keith's work ethic, integrity, and commitment to excellence were evident in everything he pursued.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Keith was a devoted family man. He adored his beloved wife, Patricia, and their three children, Jennifer, Sean and Noah. He cherished family gatherings, creating memories that will be treasured for generations to come.
Keith was preceded in death by his dear wife, Patricia Gayle Harrah. Keith is survived by his brother, John (Annette), daughter, Jennifer (Matthew) of Ramona, CA, son, Sean (Karen) of Georgetown, TX, and son, Noah (Jessica) of San Diego, CA, eight grandchildren, Curtis, Megan, Andrew, Brian, Joseph, Kathryn, Lucas, Ethan, and great grandchildren, Aiden, Collin, and Mila.
Keith had a genuine zest for life and a deep passion for music and teaching. Whether it was directing the Broadway style musicals he so loved, teaching music to his beloved students, taking his Madrigals to competitions, writing and publishing music, Keith approached each endeavor with enthusiasm and an infectious spirit.
Keith's extensive musical knowledge will forever be etched in the hearts of all who had the pleasure of knowing him. He will be profoundly missed and remembered as a devoted husband, loving father, and exceptional musician and teacher.
A memorial service to celebrate Keith's life will be held at La Jolla Country Day School on July 20, 2023 at 5:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to be made in Keith's name to the Keith Heldman Endowment for the Performing Arts at https://bit.ly/keithheldmangifts.
During this time of mourning, let us find solace in the memories we shared with Keith and support one another as we navigate through the loss. May his soul find eternal peace, and may we find comfort in knowing that he will always be with us in spirit.
Rest in peace, dear Keith William Heldman. Your light will continue to shine brightly in our hearts.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Lucy Anderton
June 13, 2025
Keith Heldman was entirely responsible for making my time at LJCDS a positive, encouraging, and fruitful experience.
Having recently immigrated to the United States, I was a boisterous child who started attending the school in the 4th grade thanks to my mother's employment there. Keith saw my musical talent and zoned in on me full force. He gave me singing solos in shows, got the school to loan us a piano so I could learn to play, and made me the understudy for Dorothy in the school-wide production of The Wizard of Oz (no small feat for a then 5th grader). In an extremely moneyed school, Keith made a young, working-class, foreign girl feel special and valued. We moved to Berkeley in the middle of 6th grade (where Keith studied music). And in 1990, I received my BA in Jazz Composition from Berklee College of Music (in Boston), where I also studied bass. I now make my living as a writer in France, and I can say with no hesitation that it is because of Keith Heldman that I became aware of--and confident in--my musical abilities. And it is that musical ability that is infused in my writing every day. Whenever I have the opportunity to teach (and I have, from middle-school through to university level), I think of Keith and the impact that a single teacher can have on the lives of the students they teach. His was a life well-spent. And I am ever-grateful that he existed.
Jody Racanelli
May 8, 2024
Keith Heldman was a very special man in general and in my life. He happened to be the father of my best friend. And as I happened to have no father in my life; he became a second father to me and as I became an adult, he was a very dear friend. I was so blessed to be able to learn from him and be around him. There are so many happy memories of spending time with Jennifer (his daughter) at their house; sleepovers, trips, fun days at Magic Mountain, taking us to late night movies and on and on. He was loving, hilarious, talented, fiery, extremely intelligent, and I will miss him forever. I love you Keith!!
Lisa Renshaw
June 13, 2023
"One Guy, One Special Guy..." Keith Heldman certainly was THAT guy for each and every one of his students. He had an unerring sense of where the talent was hiding and how to best pull it out of his pupils. I was one of them... in 1969 soon after arriving at LJCDS, he picked me to play the female lead in our Middle school production of Tom Sawyer. I was that painfully shy 11 yr old little girl who got report cards saying what a good student I was but if ONLY I would speak up! Well... Keith found out I had a nice voice so NOT using it just wasn't going to be an option. I don't remember how he did it- I just remember how much we all adored him and would work as hard as we could to make him smile. Year of chorus and madrigals and musicals and competitions later, I found myself dancing on a table as the lead in Bye Bye Birdie my senior year.... only Keith could have turned that shy little flower into a performer! (my parents worshipped him, I swear he had as much influence on who I am today as they did!) He was such a gift to every single student he had in his classes. A true miracle worker. So talented (and funny- his "pig face" he would make to crack us all up before large stressful performances was hysterical!). Songs which stand out... "See the Shepard's Dancing" which he wrote and is one of my favorite Holiday Carols... the giant grin he would get on his face as we all SUCESSFULLY navigated the key change for the last verse of "Good King Wenceslas".
That solo I had to sing for him in Tom Sawyer...it was "Where is Love"... and I can tell you where it is, it's anywhere where Keith Heldman has been. Certainly in the heart of every Madrigal. Thank you Keith, you made such a positive difference in so many lives. You are legend <3
Bruce Fayman
June 9, 2023
I was lucky enough to have Keith as both a teacher/mentor and a colleague. As a teacher, he was so great at getting so many students involved in any way for the musical productions. As a student drummer for the musicals and other shows, Keith was always encouraging and positive with me even though my reading and playing skills weren't great at the time. His encouragement helped me grow in confidence and set me on a journey of writing, recording, and performing my own music for many years. As a colleague, he kindly welcomed me back to Country Day as a member fo the Arts Department and provided me with the guidance I needed to succeed in my new role. Thanks, Keith. Here is to a passionate life well-lived!
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Sean Heldman
June 9, 2023
My dad. How he was revered by his students is incredible. I was lucky enough to be his student and his son. There were so many shows, so many late nights as a middle and upper schooler painting sets, building them, lighting, choreography, music, etc. He did it all, and we all helped and were happy to do it. His zest for music was second to none, from classical to rock, The Who to Bach, we heard it all and learned to love it from him. He was never bigger than the show that was happening, but we always knew who was in charge. When helping with makeup for the production (remember, he did it all) he would eat a McDonald's regular hamburger (Big Mac's were too big and messy to eat with one hand) and help do makeup with the other. It's amazing the little things I remember, that others may not, but it was all part of what made him great. He learned to love baseball later in his life than I would have liked, but that kept us close in his final years, and one of my fondest recent memories was taking him to Petco Park for a tour last November. We had a blast that day. One of the small things that I do remember about the shows....there always seemed to be a lack of "exit music". Maybe I was the only one who noticed, but when the show was over, it was over. I always thought there should be exit music after the bows were taken and the applause was still ongoing. Well dad, I am playing exit music for you now. It will be playing long after the applause is done. You deserve it. Rest in peace, dad. I love you. Sean
Honey Shew
June 9, 2023
I was a very young girl but I´ll never forget when they sang to each other on the wedding day. Loved both forever in my hear
Elizabeth
June 9, 2023
There's a reason the banner of my Facebook page is and has always been a photo of Bye-Bye Birdie's "the telephone hour" taken during a performance in the gym at La Jolla Country Day School. That was our stage for so many wonderful performances, wherein Mr. Heldman pulled the best of every person's ounce of talent to the fore. It was also the stage where we developed as teammates, as artists, and as adolescent people. He taught us to dance, to sightread music, to harmonize, to balance, to express joy. I honor his memory and applaud with tears at his curtain call. What an amazing impact he made in his life and work. If only we could demand an encore!
Karen Heldman
June 9, 2023
My father-in-law was always so kind to me. I will miss him dearly.
Rest peacefully Keith, Karen Heldman
Debbie (Fox) Bellew
June 9, 2023
I will always remember music class with Mr. Heldman - especially when we sang his many original works or lyrics such as "With Enough Love (MEND)", "Hummingbird", "Yearbook", and "When Grandma Comes to My House".
My condolences to the family and may you be comforted by memories of his remarkable life.
Jeanne Harrah-Johnson and Jerry Johnson
June 8, 2023
My brother in law. Funny and inspirational. Creative beyond belief. Articulate, savvy, smart and sometimes wonderfully silly. A loving individual who went out of his way to do everything and to help everyone, from taking me and my cat (he hated cats) to the emergency vet in the middle of the night to providing wound care for my sister, his wife, and supporting her desire to write and publish, his kids´ and grandchildrens´ education, sports (especially baseball), musical interests, and their many other endeavors. He was truly one of a kind. Our deepest condolences to his children and grandchildren.
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