Keith Q. Hayes was born in Ellsworth, Kansas, on November 27, 1933, to Thomas Keith Hayes and Viola Joan Bowser Hayes. He was the oldest of three children. Keith’s father was a successful insurance salesman in Hutchinson, which gave his family opportunities to travel. Keith visited the Grand Canyon, Washington, DC, and New York City. As a teen, he took the NYC subway to the US Open tennis tournament. He also traveled to Colorado with his Boy Scouts troop. Keith graduated from Hutchinson High School in 1952.

Keith began his college career at Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas. He transferred to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in 1956. He started law school at SMU but returned to Kansas and enrolled in KU’s law school because it was less expensive. To pay for school, he traveled door to door selling sets of china. Keith graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1961.

While finishing law school, Keith met Alice Marie Jefferson, who was at KU working on her master’s degree. They were married on September 10, 1961, and had three children: Keith Quentin, Ann Marie, and Lara Lynne. Keith and Alice settled in Shawnee, Kansas, in 1966. Keith also had three children from a previous marriage: Paul, Katherine, and Susan.

In 1961, Keith was hired as an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission, Kansas City Regional Office. The purpose of this agency is to protect consumers from fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices. In 1972, he was presented with a plaque for outstanding achievement from the FTC Commissioner. In 1975, the office moved to Dallas, but Keith and his wife decided to stay in Kansas City. He joined the Social Security Administration’s Office of Hearing & Appeals and worked there until his retirement in 1996.

Civic-minded and interested in his community, Keith entered city politics in 1973, when he was elected Mayor of the City of Shawnee. He served one term plus two terms as a Councilmember. He truly cared about improving life and work in Shawnee and wanted to see the city grow and develop. He continued to follow Shawnee politics after he left office. Keith once said his proudest accomplishment was working with other like-minded citizens to advocate for a park to be built at the corner of Nieman and 55th when some wanted to build a gas station. West Flanders Park was built, and it continues to be a popular park.

Keith had a distinguished career as an attorney and politician, but he always said his favorite job was part-time summer work in high school for the Santa Fe Railroad. He also admired his Kansas relatives who farmed. Had his parents not encouraged him to become a lawyer, Keith had the personality to thrive in sales.

Keith was an avid handball player and played competitively at the Kansas City, Kansas YMCA and the Jewish Community Center in Kansas City, Missouri. He also played in Oklahoma City, Memphis, Minneapolis, Wichita, and St. Louis when he traveled for work.

After retirement, he found many ways to stay busy. He volunteered at a local hospital, worked part-time for the Kansas City Royals, and delivered cars for area dealerships. Keith and Alice’s favorite place to vacation was Minnesota’s North Shore. They enjoyed searching for agates, visiting tourist attractions, and eating at Betty’s Pies. Keith loved to watch KU basketball, Westerns, and Mormon Tabernacle Choir performances.

But cars were Keith’s favorite hobby. He spent countless hours attending car shows, reading car magazines, and car shopping. Unlike most people, he enjoyed the experience of buying a car and, in retirement, bought a new pickup truck every couple of years. He also enjoyed helping his children shop for cars.

Like many fathers, Keith offered unsolicited advice; much of it turned out to be helpful—even prescient. Before taking her first professional job, Keith told his daughter Ann Marie: “There are two things you don’t talk about in polite company—and especially at work: money and politics.” But the best advice he ever offered was to encourage his daughter Lara and her husband, Will, to move next door. Delphia, Harper, and Asher grew up with loving grandparents, and the grandchildren brought Keith and Alice so much joy.

Keith’s participation in city politics occasionally limited his time with his family, but he was always interested in his children’s lives. He and Alice supported their children’s education, activities, and hobbies, and instilled in them a strong work ethic and strong values. Keith was also there to support his children during difficult times, including divorce and illness. Keith and Alice were married for 63 years, but the last few years were spent apart when Keith was moved to an assisted care facility after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Even more heartbreaking for the couple was the death of their son, Keith, from lung cancer in 2020.

Keith was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Alice, and his son, Keith. He is survived by 5 children: Ann Marie Hayes-Hawkinson (Ken Hawkinson), Macomb, IL; Lara Hayes (Will Hallagin), Shawnee, KS; Paul Hayes, Dallas, TX; Katherine Troidl (Jim), Lincoln, NE; and Susan Lopez, California; and 6 grandchildren: Keith Quentin Hayes III (Danville, VA); Delphia Marie Hallagin, Harper Alice Hallagin, and Asher Craig Hallagin, Shawnee, KS; Keith Christopher Hayes and Sophia Hayes (Rock Springs, WY).