David M. "Dave" Key's Obituary
David M. “Dave” Key, 83, of Tulsa, died on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, on Monday, December 12, 2016, at the Floral Haven Funeral Home Rose Chapel, with burial to follow at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens.Dave was born on May 26, 1933, in Weatherford, Texas, the son of Crayton Calloway and Ruth (Baker) Key. He was a member of the 1951 graduating class of Will Rogers High School. He served over 35 years with American Airlines, retired in 1993 as a Crew Chief. He began his career in American’s hydraulics department after completing his training at Spartan School of Aeronautics in 1954. He worked his way up to Crew Chief transferring over from Hangar 5 to Tulsa International Airport. He transferred to DFW Airport just prior to his marriage to Betty Fritz Roberts in 1989. He loved airplanes and could look up in the sky and tell you from the ground what kind of plane it was and the company that owned it. He joined the Navy right out of high school, he served over 30 years in the U.S. Navy, retired as Master Chief Petty Officer, NAS-Dallas. Dave went through basic training in Norfolk, VA in and completed training in Great Lakes in. He also went through some salvage diving training in Bayonne, NJ, but he decided that was not the area of service for him. After serving submarine duty, he turned his sights to the naval air side of the Navy. There he found his niche which served him well both in the Navy and in his civilian career with American Airlines. He served a short tour of duty in post war South Korea before serving a tour of duty at Christmas Island in 1962 with the VP872 during recommenced testing of the Atomic Bomb in the South Pacific. Dave was also a member of the Drum and Bugle Corp. Dave served for 17 years as Assistant Trainer for the Tulsa Ice Oilers from the early 1960’s to the late 1970’s. He and “Momma Gayle” always opened their home for dinner to any Ice Oiler players who were away from family and wanted a place to just hang out. During the 1970’s, he coached kids hockey. He was the Bat Boy for the Tulsa Oilers Baseball Team in 1948-1949. This is when he met his future wife, Gayle Stone, whom he married in 1953. Rumor has it that there was another young lady sitting in the “knot-hole” section that had a bit of a crush on Dave, Miss Betty Fritz. But that union wouldn’t occur until 1989 after Gayle’s death in 1988. Dave played the position of catcher in the church league in Tulsa for St. Lukes Episcopal Church in the mid to late 1950’s. Played basketball for the Naval Reserves in the Industrial Basketball League. Proudly volunteered with RSVP as an Ambassador at Tulsa International Airport. He logged many hours of volunteer work with the RSVP group. He had fun running the train at the Tulsa Zoo and Eastland Mall for several years up until 2003. He received as a gift a train whistle in appreciation for his service. He enjoyed family vacations and absolutely loved Alaska. For several years he, along with his wife Gayle, travelled out west on their Honda Goldwing motorcycle. They would then take the ferry out of Seattle and head for Alaska. They loved meeting people on the “solarium deck” of the ferry. These were the “serious adventurers” pitching their tents and playing their music rather than booking a room on the ferry. Alaska is where Dave fell in love with huskies. He rescued one, whom he brought home and named TOK, from the tarmac at Tulsa International Airport. There would be two more he would adopt, Rowdy (part MacKenzie Husky), and Gypsy. After Gayle’s death in July, 1988, the Will Rogers Class of 1953 invited him to their class reunion since Gayle was the first to pay reunion dues. There he was reintroduced to Gayle’s classmate, Betty Fritz Roberts. He invited her back to his home to show pictures of and reminisce over years of travels to the West and to his favorite place, Alaska. After a few months, they married and lived in Richardson, TX. Dave found another wonderful dance partner in Betty, both on the dance floor and in life, having married on June 17, 1989, in Dallas, Texas. They took several cruises together and travelled to California and Louisiana to see Betty’s children and grandchildren for all their important events. They moved back to Tulsa in 1995. He loved his family. He loved animals. He loved sports. He loved to dance to the Big Band music of the 40’s and early 50’s and was blessed to have two great dance and life partners in Gayle and Betty. As forhis relationship with God, well that was tucked in a respectful, quiet place for him. He had a gentle demeanor, easy to be around, a cackle-style laugh, and oh that “Key duck-walk”—that was HIS signature walk. He loved to tell a good joke (occasionally one might be a little off-color, but not too often). David suffered a stroke in 2003, but he worked hard to maintain physical strength by taking several daily walks through his neighborhood, picking up the newspaper from a neighbor’s driveway and putting it on their porch. He was always willing to show a kindness to others. He kept involved with the Will Rogers Class of 1951 and 1953 reunions and get-togethers up until his death.He is survived by his wife, Betty, children, Deborah Key Zickefoose, and her husband, Charles, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Pamela K. Richter, and her husband, Art, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Gregory James Roberts, of Poway, California, grandchildren, Jamie Fulghum, and her husband, Harold, of Sparks, Oklahoma, Kendell and Amanda Richter, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Matthew, his wife, Melissa, and Jeffrey Roberts, of Poway, California, great-grandchildren, Emily Fulghum, Jimmie Fulghum, Jon Fulghum, Toby Fulghum, and Nathan Roberts, niece, Jennifer Thompson, and her husband, Lee, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, nephew, Randy Key, and his wife, Willia, of Moore, Oklahoma, and numerous other extended family members and friends.He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife, Gayle Ann Key, granddaughter, Ashley Richter, and brother, Baker “C.B.” Key, and sister in law, Joy Key.
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