Keith Willis

Lake City - Keith Willis, December 10, 1931 - March 14, 2020; It is with heavy heart and much sorrow we announce the passing of our father, Keith Willis.  Dad was born in Mishawaka, Indiana to Carl and Ammon Willis.  He and his brother, Carter, grew up on a farm in Crawfordsville, Indiana spending much of their free time hunting and fishing.  

Dad developed a love of mushrooming early in life - a passion that stayed with him to his final days.  It was this passion which brought him to Lake City, Michigan, where he purchased the Lake View Motel and Gift Shop in 1985 with his beloved wife, Nancy.  

Over the next 35 years, we, as a family, shared Dad’s passion for mushroom hunting - spending every spring walking the woods with him in search of the elusive morel.  Dad, with his own special spots, would manage to lose us briefly, only to return grinning ear-to-ear with a sack full of mushrooms. 
 
The Lake View Motel became our family meeting grounds which by chance or by purpose housed the entire Willis tribe and often included our cousins Carter and Julia Willis, David, Ginny, and Brea Willis, Curt, Wendy, April, Kyle and Beth, and Casey Willis who made frequent visits for mushrooming, fishing, and family. 

Dad was loved by so many, including his brother, the late Carter Willis and sister-in-law, Rita Willis, sister-in-law and brother-in-law MaryAnn and Joe Troyer and many loving nieces and nephews.  

With family and his faithful feline companion Midnight by his side, Dad passed peacefully at home with a view of the lake he loved so much. 

We will be forever grateful for the life Dad provided to us and the life we shared with him and Mom.  All our love - children Susan and the late Randy Spradlin, Karen Hastings, Sharon Driskell, Natalie and Greg Davis, Lori and Mark Baltrusch, Carl and Traci Willis; grandchildren Rachel and Mark Miller, Sarah and Ryan Braun, TJ Fallon and Christina Mitts, Jessica Fallon and Dustin Lloyd, Justin Driskell and Quinlan Willis; great-grandchildren Jeremiah Fallon and Charlie Keith Miller. 

A celebration of life will be announced at a later time.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Missaukee Humane Society or charity of choice. 

The family is being served by the Young-Holdship Funeral Home.  

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Keith Willis, please visit our floral store.