Dr. Keith Earnest Saxton, 85, of Pullman, passed away Sunday, July 30, 2023, at the Memory Villas at Bishop Place in Pullman.
Keith was born Dec. 22, 1937, to Frank and Fern Saxton in Dawes County, Neb. After Keith graduated from Crawford High School in 1955, he went on to study agricultural engineering at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.
After obtaining a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Keith pursued a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering while working as a hydraulic engineer for the USDA-ARS in Columbia, Mo., and Ames, Iowa. Keith obtained his Ph.D. in 1972. After 42 years with the Soil Conservation service (starting at age 17) and as an engineer for the USDA, Keith retired to be a consulting engineer, specializing in no-till farming. At Washington State University, he is well-remembered as an advisor for many graduate students.
In 1957, Keith married Mary Lou Lunn, and together they had a daughter and a son. Keith is predeceased by his parents and older brother Leroy Saxton. He is survived by Mary Lou and their children: Deborah Souza and her spouse Mark Cary, and Kelvin Saxton Pablo and his wife Cassandra Saxton Pablo, along with six grandchildren. He is also survived by his younger brother, William Saxton.
Keith traveled widely as an agricultural engineer, helping launch international projects in China and India. In 1984, he and Mary Lou spent a sabbatical year in Australia. He visited every continent other than Antarctica and liked to say he’d “been around the world ... twice!”
When not traveling, Keith enjoyed working in the vegetable garden and small orchard at his Sunnyside Hill home. He also enjoyed watching the local wildlife the garden attracted.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at Corbeill Funeral Home, 905 S. Grand Ave., Pullman. Online condolences may be sent to corbeillfuneralhomes.com.
