Philip Lee Keith

Philip Lee Keith of Colleyville, TX, passed on to GLORY, early on the morning of Thursday December 18th, 2025 at the age of 74 years old.

Phil was born on March 21st, 1951 in Fort Worth Texas, the only son of the deceased Eva Ruth Thompson, a homemaker, and Philip B. Keith, a manager at Swift and Company, an historical meat processing plant located in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Phil attended Birdville Elementary School in Haltom City School District where he stood out for his sharp intellect and savant musical ability. As a boy, Phil was a member of the highly prestigious Texas Boys Choir, where he had the honor of singing for President John F. Kennedy on the morning of his assassination in November 1963. He attended Haltom Middle and High School with his future wife, Marilyn. Phil was not only a member of the high school yearbook and newspaper staff, but he also memorably performed as Myron “Old Man” Hasler in a production of The Pajama Game. Phil continually demonstrated that he was a true Renaissance man and Marilyn was impressed by his varied talents and gifts - but above all, his love of music was everything, and this truly resonated with her. In addition to being a phenomenal singer, he played a multitude of instruments including the piano, violin, flute, organ, both acoustic and electric guitar, a tambourine at times, and a kazoo for Christmas carols with his family. Phil also sang in the choir at St. Vincent’s Cathedral for most of his adult life. As a seminal part of his identity, Phil played in a band for several years in high school and college with his close friends Marty Wynn, Steve Fowler, Rick Self, and Bobby Dvorak. He made sure to maintain a sticker on his keyboard that said, ”Want a good time?” This was a cheeky prompt in his performances, but he actually made the point to only engage with the most upright of people in real life – and this speaks of his character entirely. If you were his friend and he vouched for you, it meant that he had the utmost respect and care for you and anyone that you called family or friend – and he spoke of this loudly and often. After graduating from high school, Phil completed one year of studies at Tarrant County Community College before he transferred to the University of Texas Arlington and eventually the University of North Texas, where his future wife was also studying. Phil and Marilyn carpooled together regularly and slowly these lifelong friends fell in love. Phil graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and he married the love of his life, Marilyn Baggett, the next year in August of 1975. Over the next few years he traveled extensively with his new bride and in-laws Marie and E.J. Baggett to England, Scotland, Wales, Paris, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. In 1979, he received his MBA from The University of North Texas, followed in short succession by the birth of his two daughters, Erin Michelle Keith in 1980 and Diana Renee Keith in 1983.

Expressing an early interest in computers, Phil worked for Arco Oil Company for 3 years and would fly frequently to Alaska into Prudo Bay for a couple of weeks at a time to do computer programming in the 1970s. He always made sure to express his devotion to his wife Marilyn, and his family through music and other gifts while he was gone in these short stints because this was very important to him.

He later transferred his skills into IT security and worked for American Airlines and Sabre for many years.

Philip was a very devoted and hard worker in any position that he took on, and he always made sure that his reputation matched his devoted work ethic. These are things that he passed forward to his daughters, and we pass forward to anyone we also mentor or advise.

Philip retired in 2019 and spent his last years travelling to visit his daughters in New York City and Boston – close family that he adored deeply. Phil and Marilyn celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary this year and they were blessed with a surprise celebration with some of their closest family and friends.

After many years of working through multiple heath issues successfully – Phil was consistent and tenaciously working to get back to his full mobility and to walk again– in his last days his health issues multiplied quickly and he passed peacefully at 6:15am the morning of Thursday December 18th 2025.

He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Marilyn Nan Keith, and his two daughters – Erin Michelle Keith and Diana Renee Keith. He was a loving husband and a devoted father to his family, and we honor him deeply in his absence.