Keith Straughn

Keith Straughn – educator, counselor, choir director, song leader, grandfather, uncle, brother, father, husband, and son – passed away November 18, 2025 at his home in Abilene, surrounded by his family. He was 81 years old.

The youngest of five children, Keith was born in March 1944, to Howard and Edythe Straughn of Kansas City, Kansas. A proud Rosedale High School graduate (class of 1962), he was active in the chorus and music clubs and on the basketball court.

His basketball skills provided scholarship to York College in Nebraska, where he spent two years beginning university studies. He then transferred to Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas where he graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. A year after graduation, he married Ann Hendrix of Ward, Arkansas. They were married 54 years until her death in 2021.

While Ann finished her nursing degree, Keith served as the choir director at Harding Academy - the first of many jobs in the field of education. They moved to (the big city of) Little Rock where he began working at different public schools as a guidance counselor and dean of students. After completing his masters of education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he began a series of upper-administrative positions at Jacksonville High, Robinson High, and as principal of Robinson Junior High. He finished his 37-year career with the Pulaski County Public School District in 2010, retiring as the counselor of the Jacksonville Middle School Boys campus.

Both he and Ann enjoyed traveling during their retirement years - seeing sights from coast to coast and border to border. He also enjoyed container gardening on his back patio while admiring the view of the Arkansas River in the valley below. Most of all, he loved to spend time with his three granddaughters: reading stories, watching movies, and taking them for a spin in his Mustang Convertible.

In late 2023, Keith set off with one more adventure: bravely moving to Abilene to be near those granddaughters. His house at Wesley Court was a blessing, allowing him independence while also providing much-needed assistance of good food, companionship, upkeep, and safety. Keith quickly plugged into activities throughout the city, attending Abilene Philharmonic concerts, ACU basketball games, graduations and award ceremonies of his granddaughters, and almost every concert the ACU music department presented: a testament to his lifelong love of music and basketball.

Surviving Keith is his sister, Janet Mills and her husband Bob of Shawnee Mission, Kansas; sister-in-law Carole Straughn of Salt Lake City, Utah; son Greg Straughn and his wife Marcia of Abilene, and their three daughters: Eva, Anna, and Mattye; son Matt Straughn and his wife Amber of Glenn Dale, Maryland; and a host of nieces and nephews.

A remembrance service will be held on Friday, November 21 at 5:00pm at Piersall Funeral Directors (733 Butternut) in Abilene. A time of visitation with the family will begin at 4:00pm prior to the remembrance service. The service will be streamed at https://www.youtube.com/@piersallfuneraldirectors8501/streams

Iin lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Arkansas Chamber Singers at arkansaschambersingers.org