Walt Keister

I've written several posts about people who I perceive have influenced me is some way... people whom God has used to shape me... people whose influence has helped me be better than I otherwise would have been. There are many more, and I plan to write about them occasionally in coming weeks. Today I want to mention one good man whose influence I might have overlooked had his death yesterday not brought him to mind.

Walt Keister was not my peer but one of those youth group parents when Virginia and I were in high school. Walt and his wife Ellen , like my parents and others, opened their home to us and did their best to help us function as a healthy youth group in an era when most churches did not have youth ministers. Their daughter, Ginger, was a good friend and fellow Viking at Hueneme High. We sure had some good times together.

Walt was one of those guys who enjoyed laughing with us boys, but he was not really an up-front-on-stage kind of guy at church... at least when we were kids. He was more like my dad... more quiet and behind the scenes, but with a heart of gold. I never doubted that Walt didn't think well of me as a teen, and I never doubted his love and support of our youth group. Every church needs more couples like Walt and Ellen, and we had quite a few at Oxnard in those days.

Thank you Walt for your example, for your kindness, for your faithfulness to your family and your God. Thank you for your influence in the life of this kid and others in our youth group. You will be missed.