Their Story
Keith Lanman was born November 27, 1940,[1] in Washington, Iowa,[2]74 miles southwest of the Quad Cities. Keith, only completing the 8th Grade,[3]enlisted in the Army in October of 1963 and served in the 77th Armored Regiment[4]. Keith would be discharged from the Army in October 1965[5], never having been deployed to Vietnam. It isn’t uncommon for service members to never get deployed to a conflict.
After his release from the Army, Keith moved to Morris, Illinois[6], located 60 miles Southwest of Chicago, and owned a gas station![7]In Morris, he met Janice, the woman he would marry. Keith and Janice would end up having three children together.[8]
After selling the gas station, Keith and Janice moved to Moline, Illinois, gaining employment with the McLaughlin Body Company.
Ultimately, Keith went on to become a curbside mechanic or a mechanic who works on cars from home[9].
“He was a provider,”[10]Kitty Rae, Keith’s daughter, said. “He worked a lot on cars in the garage and got up early for work.”[11]Keith worked in the home garage so much, either for the local used car dealership or the neighbors. The family had an intercom system installed, a rare thing for a home! The intercom system was so that if the phone rang, the family could tell him quickly without running back and forth.[12]He even had a phone on his side of the bed in the master bedroom if work called. “One woman even paid him in rhubarb pies. She would come to pick the rhubarb and then make a pie to pay for my dad for the work on her car,” Kitty said.[13]
Keith also worked for United Township High School as a mechanic and general laborer.[14] He would set up the yard markers for the evening’s game during the football season. He would set up chairs for graduation and plow the snow.[15]Keith was a very busy man, but he wasn’t always working. He had a fun side that was two shades of purple.
“My dad was different,” Kitty said. “His favorite color was purple.”[16]Keith owned a 1995 Chevy S10 short cab and short bed stick shift that was also purple.[17]“Every year, the family would go to Florida.”[18]“I remember [one year] going to Florida, my dad wearing a button-up shirt and jean shorts, which were two different colors of purple. I remember a picture of him in these two shades of purple and wearing a Rocky and Bullwinkle hat!”[19]“We would go to Universal Studios because my dad loved roller coasters. You had to ride the roller coasters if you wanted to spend time with dad.”[20]Another fond memory Kitty has of her father was when her sister, who was five months pregnant on the indoor “Back to the Future” ride, Dad kept asking if “everything was okay.”[21]
In 1997 Keith had a heart attack that he recovered from. In January of 1998, Keith went to have a physical to return to work at United Township High School, but his life would change.[22] He would discover he had a type of cancer called Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, or CML. CML is a cancer of the bone marrow that is fatal.[23]After undergoing chemo and radiation treatments, Keith would still get to go back to work for another four years.[24]The final issue for Keith was a tumor that was discovered on his spine after having extreme back pain helping Kitty’s sister move to Las Vegas, Nevada.[25]
Keith enjoyed bowling, stock car racing and drag racing. He especially liked drag car racing with his nephew David Lanman. Keith was an avid Cubs fan and loved spending time with his Grandchildren.[26]
On February 25th, 2002, Keith passed away in the family home at 61 years old.[27]He is buried in Section Z, plot 788.[28]
[1] Lanman, Keith,” Fold3.com. (Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, October 8, 2013.) https://www.fold3.com/record/621599182/keith-lanman-1940-veterans-affairs-birls-death-file
[2] Keith Lanman in discussion with his daughter, February 2022.
[3] Keith Lanman in discussion with his daughter, February 2022.
[4] Disgruntled Underground 2.0 to author March 7, 2022.
[5] “Lanman, Keith,” Fold3.com. (Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, October 8, 2013.) https://www.fold3.com/record/621599182/keith-lanman-1940-veterans-affairs-birls-death-file
[6] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[7] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[8] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[9] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[10] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[11] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[12] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[13] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[14] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[15] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[16] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[17] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[18] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[19] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[20] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[21] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[22] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[23] Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia,” Mayo Clinic, accessed March 9, 2022,
[24] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[25] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[26] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9198887/keith-leon-lanman :accessed 07 June 2023. Obit by David Smith https://www.findagrave.com/user/profile/47038930
[27] Keith Lanman in discussion with Kitty Rae, his daughter, February 2022.
[28] Keith Lanman in discussion with his daughter, February 2022.