Keith Dale Price

Keith Dale Price was born December 23, 1957, in Fort Walton Beach, FL.  He was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and passed away on December 19, 2022 with his wife and daughter at his side.

 

Keith was a Christmas baby, born to Evelyn Vermell Price and James Boyd Price, Jr. just two days before the holiday in 1957.  He was the oldest of three brothers.  He graduated from North Clayton High School in College Park, GA in 1976, having lettered in football and track and field.  Keith also participated in competitive figure skating and was the National Amateur Champion in 1979 and 1980.

 

He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, earning a Bachelor of Science in 1986 and a Master of Architecture in 1988.  He was a licensed architect in 35 states and a career-long member of the American Institute of Architects.  He owned his own successful firm, KTP Architecture, from 1993 to 2016, designing both residential and commercial projects.

 

Keith met the former Tonia Melinda Wells in 1973 and they married on September 4, 1982.  They welcomed daughter Ashley Danielle on November 7, 1995. Together, the family enjoyed traveling, especially to enhance Ashley’s education and foster a family-wide love of architecture.  

 

From 1983 to 1989, Keith and Tonia worshiped and taught Sunday School at First Baptist Atlanta where Keith was ordained as a deacon in 1988.  As the family relocated, they worshiped at First Baptist Fairburn where Keith taught Sunday School and served as a deacon. The family are current members of Calvary Baptist Church in Smyrna, GA.

 

He was an active missionary from his time in high school until his illness. He served on staff with Summershine Resort Ministry every summer from 1978 to 1980. From 1990 to 1997, he served through Builders for Christ, a group dedicated to building the body of Christ through volunteer church construction.  In 2003 and 2004, he traveled to Canada with First Baptist Jonesboro to complete building projects for the indigenous people of the Blackfoot Nation.

 

Later in life, Keith was called to a different kind of missionary work.  In 2018 he earned his Captain’s License and founded Salt of the Sea Ministries.  Years of careful planning for the mission trip’s maiden voyage were derailed when the pandemic shuttered ports in Florida and throughout the Caribbean in March 2020.  Keith’s dream was to charter missionary trips to the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and beyond in service of local populations.

 

Keith is survived by Tonia, his wife of forty years, and his daughter, Ashley, his mother Evelyn V. Price of Stone Mountain, GA, and his brother Gregory D. Price (wife, Donna L.) of Stone Mountain, GA.  He will be remembered by an extended family that includes uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews, and cousins.  He is preceded in death by his father James Boyd Price, Jr., and his brother Douglas Gordan Price.

 

A service celebrating Keith’s life will be held on December 22, 2022 at Ford Steward Funeral Home in Jonesboro, GA.  Rev. Chris Thore, a lifelong friend of Keith’s and best man at his wedding, will officiate.  The family will receive visitors at 9:30, with the service following at 10:30.  A private burial ceremony will follow at The Rock Baptist Church in Rex, GA, where Keith will be laid to rest near his grandparents. 

 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Keith’s honor to the Summershine Resort Ministry (1140 Fairway Dr; Yadkinville, NC 27055) Checks payable to “Summershine” or donations designated for Missions at Calvary Baptist Church (1243 Belmont Ave SE; Smyrna, GA 30080). Tonia and Ashley extend their sincere gratitude for the prayers and support offered during Keith’s illness and following his passing.