Keithland Dequence Wilhite

Keithland Dequence Wilhite was born on May 21, 1960, in Gladewater, Texas, to the parents of Walter

D. Wilhite and Annie Lue Tennison Wilhite. He was the ninth of nine children and was affectionately called "Baby Keith" by his mother. He departed this life on February 3, 2025, in Denver, Colorado.

Keithland received his formal education in the Gladewater Public School District. After obtaining his high school diploma, he moved to Dallas, Texas, and later to Denver, Colorado. He worked in various jobs, including cooking, cutting neighborhood lawns, carpentry, and painting houses, skills he learned from his parents while growing up in a small East Texas town. After working these odd jobs for a season, he decided to pursue his dream of becoming a teacher. He enrolled at Arapahoe Community College, where he received his associate degree. Keith then furthered his education at the University of Northern Colorado, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies-Early Childhood Emphasis, with a 3.88 GPA.

This academic achievement earned him the highest honors, "Summa Cum Laude." Keithland attributed his success to God, the love and support of his family, friends, and mentors. Due to his academic excellence, he was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society for community college students in the United States, with more than 1.3 million members and 1,200 chapters across all fifty states, U.S. territories, Canada, and Germany. This society recognizes and encourages academic achievement to foster individual growth and development.

Upon completing his education, Keithland was hired by the Denver Independent School District, where he worked at Stephen Knight School in Englewood, Colorado, until his retirement. He was beloved by his co-workers, students, and their families.

After retiring, he continued to substitute teach until his health began to deteriorate.

At an early age, Keithland received the word of God while attending church with his mother and Aunt Beulah Howard. The saints loved Keith because of his kindness and respect for the elderly. He was always willing to assist them by opening doors, helping them out of cars, and offering a helping hand if they were using walkers.

By the time Keith was four years old, he had developed a love for drawing, coloring, and watercolor painting. This hobby grew into a passion as he got older, and he later began painting with canvas and oil. He joined an art group made up of senior citizens, and his fellow artists described him as "a spectacular artist." Keith loved to paint nature and the scenic beauty of his East Texas roots.

Life Reflections:

Keith enjoyed music of all genres, but particularly gospel artists such as John P. Kee, Rev. James Moore, and The Mississippi Choir.

Everyone who knew Keithland, affectionately known as "Key Key," knew that he loved life and enjoyed his friends, the children he taught, and his family. Though it was time for him to leave us, he would not want us to be saddened for too long. He left us strong and confident, knowing that the Lord knew he had "fought the good fight and finished his course." Therefore, he would want us to be strong in the Lord, stay the course, and love the Lord, our friends, and our family. He taught us to treat everyone with respect and dignity, and by doing so, the Lord will be pleased with our lives. Keith believed that if you lived by these principles, it would bring love, joy, and peace, just as it did for him.

He is preceded in death by his father and mother, Walter D. Wilhite and Annie Lue Tennison Wilhite; five brothers, Donald, Jerry, Lawrence, Charles, and Douglas Wilhite; grandparents, Jim Wilhite, Fannie Wilhite Hawley, Wade Tennison, and Suzy Tennison; aunts, Gussie Wilhite Hawley, Beulah Howard Douglas, Marie Lewis, and Ollie Wilhite Square; sister-in-law, Alice Wilhite, Rachelle Jeanette Elder Wilhite; uncles, K.C., Rochester, Willie, Timmy Lee Wilhite, and Robert Jones; niece, Trecia L.

Wilhite Rogers; brother-in-law, Freddie L. Butler; and God sister, Sheila E. Butler.

He leaves to cherish his precious memories: brothers, Robert L. Wilhite (Martha), Bedford R.

Wilhite (Faye); sister, Jeanette Wilhite Butler; sisters-in-law, Liz Wilhite, Bernice Wilhite, and Saundra Wilhite; nieces, Natland Wilhite, Demetric Wilhite Robinson, Treschell Wilhite Seymore, Kaci Wilhite Greene, Tiffany Wilhite, Deborah Johnson, Fredrea' Butler, Destiny "Muffy" Fisher, Alyn Caesar, Peggy Taylor, Tameka Miller Johnson; nephews, Nathan Wilhite, Donald Wilhite Jr.

(Vickey), Lawrence Wilhite Tr., Albert Wilhite (LeVonne), RayTori Wilhite (LaTosha), Duane Reed, LaJuan Thomas; special cousins, Annie Lois Wilhite Clay, Marian Wilhite Middleton, Charles Wilhite, Barbar Jewell Mitchell, Timmie Jefferson, and Delois Johnson; and a host of loving and wonderful relatives, cousins, and friends.

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