Keith Thorpe

1958 - 2026

Keith Thorpe, longtime photojournalist, writer and videographer for the Peninsula Daily News, died March 5, 2026 of complications from cancer.
He was 67.
Thorpe was also known nationally and internationally for his work with The Associated Press and other worldwide news services.
He was born in Kansas City, Kan. And spent his youth in Prairie Village and Overland Park, Kan., moving to Colorado in his late teens.
Thorpe returned to Kansas to study journalism at Kansas City Kansas Community College and later at the University of Kansas, receiving a bachelor's degree in photojournalism from the William Allen White School of Journalism.
Upon graduation he worked at the Atchison (Kansas) Daily Globe, where he earned the Victor Murdock Medallion for excellence in investigative reporting, the highest journalism award bestowed by the Kansas Press Association.
Thorpe later worked at the Mitchell (S.D.) Daily Republic, receiving numerous photo awards from the South Dakota Associated Press. He went on to work as a reporter/photographer for The Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
He moved to Port Angeles in 1996, spending the rest of his career with the Peninsula Daily News, covering numerous local, national and international stories.
Thorpe, a longtime member of a local homebrewers club, was an avid beer maker. He crafted different batches for sampling every year at PDN gardening columnist Andrew May's annual Corn Roast, a tradition that spread among local brewers and is still wildly popular.
Thorpe also had an longtime interest in tracking weather events, using his knowledge in the newsroom, where his ear was always tuned in to the police scanner at his desk.
He traveled extensively, documenting his journeys with photos and humor on his website, Lunchandsnack.com.
Thorpe is survived by his wife, Kristie Stacey of Port Angeles; stepson Quinn Stacey; three sisters, Margaret Foss of Kansas City, Kan., Katherine Powers and Elizabeth (Eric) Yeomans, both of Lee's Summit, Mo.; aunt Priscilla Skinner of Kansas City, Kan., and numerous nieces, nephews and great-nephews.
A Celebration of Life is planned in Port Angeles for his birthday, June 13, at 483 Westridge Road.
The casual, potluck event will begin at 1 p.m. Everyone attending is encouraged to bring their favorite dish and their favorite memories to share.