Rudy Keyes

1933 - 2016

RUDY KEYES Rudy Keyes was born on July 14, 1933 in Shreveport Louisiana to Howard and Cordilla Keyes. They moved to Arcata in 1947 and he began to work in the saw mills by the time he was 16. In 1950 he married the love of his life Hellen Rassbach. Rudy worked at the barrel factory in Arcata until it shut down then he worked at Macintosh in Blue Lake as a sawyer. He was a union man through and through and was always there for both sides. Rudy decided to go into the woods to fell timber, first at Arcata Redwood and later at Louisiana Pacific. He was vice president of the union for the 21 years that he worked there until they shut down their logging operation in 1979 due to the expansion of Redwood National Park. As a union representative he flew to Washington D.C. to represent the LP Union. He spoke to congress and said that he fell the giant redwoods and many homes were built as a result of thoses harvested trees. Rudy loved the outdoors and he spent long hours hunting and fishing with his friends. He ran a family claim and mined for gold; and was twice named the champon of the biggest salmon competition in Trinidad. From the beach to the deep blue sea and deep into the forest, Rudy loved what this life offered him and he embraced the desire to live life to the fullest. He was preceded in death by his mother and father Howard and Cordilla Keyes, as well as his brothers Don and Howard Jr. and his son Doug. He is survived by his sister Ellen Lee and brother Bob Keyes, and many good friends and fishing and hunting buddies, his daughter Donna (David Hough), children Marie (Dennis) and Eric Hough (April); daughter-in-law Diane, children Megan and Matt; and his sons Rudy and Mark Keyes and many great grandchildren as well as his wife Hellen, to whom he was married for 65 years. He will be greatly missed by all. His family was able to visit him until the end. He wanted to tell all his friends how much he loved them. There will be no service. Please sign the guestbook at www.times-standard.com