Keith finally died. Normally one would not speak ill of the dead, but this one is too good, this was Keith. One of his shirttail relatives has a dossier on Keith which she has been saving for this day to write a book. The title of the book is to be 'It Takes a Community To Raise a Thief'. One could quibble with the title, but everyone knew how he lived. He didn't even fake a real job, everyone, particularly law enforcement, knew that he was a thief by trade, a real professional. He must have been good at it, because he was seldom jailed for any length of time, except for one time when he inadvertently committed a crime that turned out to be a federal offense and he did some prison time. He left behind a bunch of children with assorted women and a number of small buildings scattered around the county were he kept his "stuff". Yeah, he will be missed.
Memorial services for Keith Leslie Register, of Albert Lea, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Bonnerup Funeral Service, Albert Lea. Friends may visit with family one hour before services at the funeral home. Interment will be in Alden Cemetery at a later date. Keith was born on July 10, 1929. He passed away peacefully at Parkview Care Center in Wells on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. He was 82 years old. Keith enjoyed auctions, spending time with and receiving recent photos of his grandchildren, and he lived life to its fullest.He is survived by his children: Dottie (Steve) Honsey, Kenn (Lori) Register, Gene (Jamie) Register, David (Kathy) Register, Gary Register and special friend, Carmen, Joni Cline, Gail (Daniel) Thorpe, Brian (Amy) Nielsen, Bruce (Jennie) Nielsen and Alan Nielsen and his special friend Tetyana; brothers: Alan (Louise) Peterson and Ross (Fran) Peterson; aunt, Mary Jean Pagenkopf; 23 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.He is preceded in death by his mother, Vivian Cadwell; brother, Richard Peterson; and sister-in-law, Denise.He will be sadly missed by many friends.
4 comments:
As a self styled "Speaker for the Dead" I must say that you performed that role well. In fact better than well.
I have noticed that you have done this before with others but making the good sound good is easy. The accomplished can make the bad sound good.
I commend you.
Being a "Speaker for the Dead" is not easy but everyone should have one.
Just want to make clear that I am not the shirttail relative with plans to write a book about Keith. I'm not "shirttail," but a first cousin, and while I agree that Keith would make a fascinating character study (too over the top to be believable in fiction, however), a book like that does not call to me.
Cheri Register
I forgot to mention that there already is a book about Keith's archetype: Grettir's Saga, or The Story of Grettir, one of the Old Icelandic sagas. Grettir was an "utlagi," the origin of the word "outlaw."
Cheri
Why fiction?
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