Phillip Foster Keith

Phillip Foster Keith, age 69, of Asheville, NC passed away on January 23rd, 2023 at Asheville Specialty Hospital in Asheville, NC.  Phillip was born on November 18th, 1953 to W. Cecil Keith and the late Louise “Lou” Keith of Salisbury, NC.

Phillip was born in Greenville, SC and raised in Charlotte, NC, where he graduated from East Mecklenburg High School and briefly attended UNC Charlotte before enlisting in the United States Navy. Upon completion of his service in 1980, Phillip returned to North Carolina where he graduated from UNC Asheville with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, and later earned a nursing degree from A-B Tech. He spent his career with Mission Health, caring for the people of Western North Carolina for 40 years until his retirement in 2019.   

In his younger years, Phillip was an avid outdoorsman who reveled in hiking, camping, skiing, and climbing the Appalachian Mountains. More recently, he found pleasure in spending time with his family, particularly his young grandchildren, and enjoyed boating on Lake Jocassee, annual vacations on Sunset Beach, reading, working crossword puzzles, and cheering on the San Francisco 49ers.

Phillip is survived by his loving spouse of twenty-four years, Robin Bayne Keith; his daughter, Nicole Keith Ward (Josh), of Charlotte, NC; sons, Michael Conner (Chelsey), of Canton, NC, and Ryan Conner (Miranda), of Asheville, NC; sisters, Marie Knox (David), of Matthews, NC, and Ann Keith, of Salisbury, NC; brother, David Keith, of Salisbury, NC, three grandchildren, ages 2, 4, and 5, and many additional relatives and friends. In addition to his mother, Phillip is preceded in death by his brother, Earl Keith.

The family sincerely appreciates the support, prayers and stories offered by old and new friends alike over the past several weeks. We are also eternally grateful to the teams of Mission Health’s ICU and the Asheville Specialty Hospital for the extraordinary care you provided Phillip and our family during his time with you; he was adamant that your compassion and diligence be acknowledged. In lieu of flowers, we invite you to please share your favorite memories and stories of Phillip so that we may continue to honor and treasure this wonderful man who touched so many lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Phillip Foster Keith, please visit our floral store.