Keith Sanford Thompson

Keith Sanford Thompson, 90, of Brevard, passed away on May 22, 2026. He was born on August 22, 1935 in San Francisco, CA to Jack Richard Thompson and Arba Josephine Miller Thompson.

Keith lived a long and interesting life. After becoming an Eagle Scout in 1952 and graduating from San Ramon Union high School in Danville, California in 1953, Keith went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in May 1957 with a major in Sociology and minor in Psychology from Brigham Young University. He was proud to be the first in his family to graduate college. Years later he went on to a master’s degree from Ball State University in Counseling Psychology.

He married his loving wife, Emilia, on July 1, 1969, in Basel, Switzerland and was an amazing father to Peter, Spencer and Rebecca. He is survived by his wife, three children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his younger sisters Karen Silveira and Katie Rollins.

He served in the U.S. Army between 1958 and 1962 and was stationed in California, Texas, Arkansas, Germany and Washington. He later spent over 30 years working for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Germany, England, Italy and Spain as an educator who inspired hundreds of children with his unique teaching style. In 2001, Keith retired from government work and moved to Connestee Falls in Brevard.

Keith loved to travel and managed to visit over 40 countries during his life. He took great pride in the things he collected during his life and enjoyed sharing stories about his various collections. He loved working on his genealogy, which went back many generations. Keith was an inspiring intellectual with many friends who enjoyed discussing history, science, religion and politics.

Keith was a member of the Latter-Day Saints Church which played an important role throughout his life.

A funeral service for Keith Thompson with be held at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Church in Brevard. Interment will follow at 2:00 PM at the Western North Carolina Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain, NC.

Moore-Blanchard Funerals & Cremations is honored to serve the family.