Putnam Funeral Home and Crematory
Born in the Spring of 1939 to Ronald William Keely and Nell Etta Keely (Tough) in National City, California. Roy was the youngest of their three children with brother Barney Keely, and sister Annette Wildey.
My family moved from San Diego to Sula, Montana, in 1946, near the Continental Divide on Highway 93 at the base of the Lost Trail Pass in a log cabin my dad built in '46.
Education
Graduated from High School in Darby, Montana, Class of 1957.
Graduated from Northrup Institute of Technology, Inglewood, CA, 1962 with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering.
Work Experience
Started career as a structural design engineer on the Titan II and III missile systems, at Martin Denver Company, Englewood, Colorado.
1964, Brown Engineering consulting with NASA Manned Space Center, Huntsville, Alabama. Did conceptual design work on some orbital space stations. Got involved in lunar base and lunar roving laboratory design. Special jobs were two supervised by Dr. Warner VonBraun. He wanted to convert a lunar excursion module into a roving vehicle and convert, in space, a spent SIVB upper oxygen tank into an orbital science lab. This later became SKYLAB; it was fabricated on the ground and launched into orbit.
In 1965, was hired away to work for Bendix Aerospace, Ann Arbor, Michigan, to help design roving vehicles for lunar use. Mobile Laboratory (MOLAB). Never got off the ground. Ended up as Project Manager for the first Mars lander, Voyager Program. Helped design the science packages placed on the moon during the Apollo launches. In 1969, received a one-man contract to go to MSC Houston and operated the packages left on the moon. Worked in Mission Control Center until 1977 when we shut the five packages down.
Started work in 1977 for Convair General Dynamics in San Diego on the Tomahawk Cruise Missile Program. The missiles you saw flying over Baghdad during the Gulf War. Was a control engineer involved in getting the special test birds built and into test, then recovering them after flight. Promoted to Test Conductor involved with testing and launching the vehicles from submarines and specially constructed test beds under the ocean. The main base of operation was San Clemente Island, 90 miles West of San Diego. Would fly out Monday and back on Friday most of the time; except during launches, we would stay out all weekend and usually launch Monday or Tuesday. Promoted to Engineering Chief in charge of all flight tests for Tomahawk. After six months, the engineering chief for the Stealth Cruise Missile was fired, and I was sent in to straighten out that project. Took five years and all my patience. A very high-level political position that I didn't care for, so I retired in 1992 at the age of 53 and never regretted it.
Early life and Retirement
Roy started playing guitar at age 12. It was his mother's guitar, an ancient Holcolm, which he still owns. He attended Darby schools, playing tuba in the Darby High School band and the Montana all-state band, and singing tenor and bass in the all-state choir.
He went to college at Brigham Young University in 1957, where he played tuba in the BYU Marching Band. Roy continued to play tuba and also tenor guitar in a polka band in Denver, Colorado in the 1960s. He sang and played guitar in some honky tonks in Houston, Texas. Hank Snow, Hank Williams, and Ernest Tubb are Roy's biggest singing influences for he enjoyed the old country western favorites and gospel songs. Roy's other hobbies included building guns, skiing, golf, computers, dancing, cooking, singing, playing guitar/mandolin, attending bluegrass/country music festivals, and reading.
Roy had three children. Son Allen Keely passed in 2011. He is survived by two daughters, Laura Snelgrove of Santaquin, UT, and Linda Allison of Hamilton, MT; nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Roy passed away at home peacefully in his sleep. He wished for no viewing or services. His final rest is at Sula Cemetery, Montana. In lieu of flowers please donate to your favorite charity. Condolences can be sent to Linda Allison, C/O Roy Keely, PO Box 603, Hamilton, MT 59840.
LINKS
The Llano News
http://www.llanonews.com
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