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KEITH, Milton Yarbrough 66, of St. Petersburg, died Thursday, March 5, 2009 of lung cancer. He was born in Decatur, AL and moved to Huntsville, AL at age 1. Mr. Keith was preceded in death by his parents, Marshall Keith Sr. and mother Louise Yarbrough Keith; a brother, Marshall Keith Jr. and his stepson Jeff Lyda. Keith is survived by Katherine, his wife of 30 years; 2 daughters, Sharity Keith-Reichard of St. Petersburg and Tanya Stubbs of Manchester, MA as well as his sister, Nita Spitzer of Shreveport, LA and his brothers, Sam and Neil Keith of Huntsville, AL; Keith had 5 grandchildren. He was a carpenter and handyman in the St. Petersburg area. He was an Eagle Scout from Troop 15 in Huntsville and a past Master Counselor of the Huntsville DeMolay. Mr. Keith was a recipient of the highest honor, the Chevalier. He served in Vietnam with the 12th Marine Corps. He received the Vietnam Service Metal, National Defense Service Metal and Vietnam Campaign Metal.He was very proud of his Marine service and in his younger years frequently wrote editorials championing veteran's issues.
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James Milford Price
Milton Keith was a good friend of mine. He demonstrated leadership as an Eagle Scout, a DeMolay officer, and, perhaps most importantly, as a Marine combat soldier in Vietnam. A lot of people may not know that Milton not only distinguished himself in his service to his country in that conflict but he later fought for health benefits for the veterans of that war and questioned the leadership provided at the highest levels which led to so many health problems suffered by veterans from such toxic chemicals as Agent Orange.
Milton was also a good friend to me. In the mid-60s I contracted a form of hepatitis and Milton was there for me. We had good times together. Being around Milton was a lot of fun. I always admired his strength, his pride in his service to his country, his loyalty to his friends, his hard work for his family, and his zest for life.