Richard “Rich” Emerson Keefer - 1946 – 2012
On Friday, February 10, 2012 Rich went home to be with the Lord. After his long battle with cancer he peacefully drifted off the ends of this earth in the comfort of his home.
Rich was a simple man with strong affections for his family and friends. He loved the simple pleasures in life – spending time with people he cared for, reading, traveling, coastal vacations, and the art of relaxing. He had a deep affinity for reading and learning. Always the student seeking to learn and master the next subject of his interest. Over the years Rich had built up an impressive personal library collection and display filled with practically every subject imaginable.
Rich was always the consummate professional who took his work and customers serious, but never himself. During his long tenure with United Safety Apparatus, Inc., maker of Safe-T-Plus Steering Control, Rich was able to help take the small manufacturer to the next level. With emphasis on building sound customer relationships through Safe-T-Plus’ channel network, Rich was able to push unit sales and company revenues to record levels. Moreover, Rich built wonderful relationships from coast-to-coast with wholesalers and dealers alike. He cherished their friendships and enjoyed spending face-to-face time with them as often as schedules permitted.
Rich never missed an opportunity to find humor in life. He was always the prankster. The one calling he avoided ardently was writing. Yet, he was a masterful wordsmith with a solid command of the pen. I encourage you to read some of his short, yet insightful and folksy humor blog posts below.
Rich will be missed immensely by his family, friends, and extended Safe-T-Plus family. We will miss his humor, kindness, wisdom, and loving spirit. He was always giving us a gift. He invested himself in each of us. For that, we are all a better person for knowing Rich.
On behalf of his family and extended Safe-T-Plus family, thank you for your thoughts, prayers, sympathy cards, and flowers during this difficult time. We will strive to carry out Rich’s hard work and legacy left behind for us to follow. He certainly set the standard high on the personal and professional fronts. We’ll do our best to make him proud.
