Gerald Keep Obituary

May 7, 1960 – December 21, 2023

KINGSPORT - Dr. Gerald Timothy Keep passed away in Kingsport, Tennessee on December 21st, 2023 after a bravely fought battle with cancer. He was 63.

Dr. Keep was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 7th, 1960. When he was 10, his family relocated to Colorado. He completed his undergraduate chemistry studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder and earned his Ph.D at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

He was then recruited by Eastman Kodak in Kingsport, Tennessee (currently Eastman Chemical Company) in 1987, where he worked for seventeen years. Following his career at Eastman, he started his company, Missing Octave Insights. His focus, in both consulting and creating, was on how to make the world a better place. And whether at church, at home, or among friends, he was always ready to lend a helping hand and teach.

Gerald was an enthusiastic player of video and board games, with a collection full of the interesting and obscure. He enjoyed cooking and preparing food for his friends and family, including the "Gerald Salad", which will be greatly missed. And he was an avid reader and writer, having penned four books during his lifetime.

Gerald was a beloved husband and father and friend. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Linda Pearl, who passed away in 2002 after a five-year battle with liver failure. He is also preceded in death by his mother, Virginia Fenton Keep; his oldest brother, David James Keep; and his youngest son, Joshua Ryan Haskell Babb, who passed away in 2018.

Gerald is survived by his wife, Linda Ruth Waltner; their eldest son, Nicolas Andrew Stanley Keep; his father, James Douglas Keep; his brother David's widow, Betsy Keep; his brother, Robert Daniel Keep; and his sisters, Linda Lorraine Keep and Suzanne Elizabeth Green and her husband Mark Alan Green.

Gerald was a devoted uncle to numerous cousins, always marking Christmases and birthdays. They are Michael Tei Barosh, Theresa Ann Barosh (Sean Fogerty), Kimberly Bell Barosh (Reid Gilsdorf), Jamie Blair Barosh (Max Barosh), Gwendolyn Ann McGlothlin (Jason Cunningham and grandniece Addie), Cecil Patrick McGlothlin, Kevin Matthew Green, Samantha Maegan Green, and Sophie Zannamarie Green.

A memorial service will be held at Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church at 2:00 p.m on Saturday, February 3rd, 2024. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to a favorite charity.

A sincere and deep thanks to everyone who supported Gerald and Linda during his brief illness. Your kindness is not forgotten.