Obituary of Lt Col Harold George Keck,, U.S. Air Force, Jr.

On May 4, 2020, Lt Col Harold "Hal" George Keck, Jr., U.S. Air Force (Ret.), 79, passed away at home surrounded by his family.��Hal was born on June 3, 1940 in the territory of Hawaii to Lucille (Opliger) and Harold "Gary" Keck, Sr. While his father, a career military man, was stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB, Hal attended Goldsboro High School (GHS) where he met the love of his life, Nancy Jo Farmer. Hal became the first GHS graduate to attend the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). Upon graduation from the USAFA in 1962, he and Nancy married and spent the next twenty-seven years crossing the globe and rearing four children.��Hal began his career in 1962 at Craig AFB, Alabama. His assignments and training bases included Travis AFB, Little Rock AFB, and Bunker Hill (now Grissom) AFB, Trenton, Ontario, Canada as a NATO exchange officer, Andrews AFB, and finally Pope AFB. One of the many highlights of his career came when he flew C-130 missions out of CCK AFB, Taichung, Taiwan into Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict.� During his career, Hal received many awards and decorations including a Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Bronze Service Star, the Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, the Phillipine Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Device, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. He retired from the Air Force in 1989.�Hal was a true patriot who loved and served his country, his family, and God.��After he retired, Hal and Nancy returned to Goldsboro where he began his second career in real estate at Houser Associates Real Estate. He helped countless families find their homes until he retired for good in 2010.�Hal was often fond of saying that he had been happily married for twenty-five years and that wasn't bad for being married as long as he had, this would always get a laugh. He would say this with a twinkle in his eye and a sideways glance to his love. While he loved a good laugh, he loved Nancy more.� Nancy, his youngest daughter Juli, and family friend Leesa Henricksen took extraordinary care of Hal in his final years.�They kept Hal healthy, comfortable, entertained, and they only rarely objected when someone tried to sneak him in something "forbidden". A special thanks to Tyler and Laurie Keck and Wayne and Mary Sullivan for always lending a much needed hand.Hal is preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Bill; and his sisters, Maxine and Sandy.� He is survived by his wife of almost fifty-eight years, Nancy Keck; and his children Adair (Bryan) McGraw of Imperial, Missouri, Tiffany (Andrew) Schmitt of Tyler, Texas, Tyler (Laurie) Keck of Goldsboro, North Carolina, and Julianne Keck of Goldsboro, North Carolina. He also leaves behind his grandchildren, Kaitlyn (Christopher) Hem, Brendan McGraw, Gabrielle Keck, Helen Keck, Hailey Schmitt, Tristan Keck, Shaun McGraw, and Heather Schmitt; as well as numerous nephews and nieces.� Private burial U.S. Air Force Academy Cemetery, Colorado.