Tragic Loss for SRAM
It is with a heavy heart that we report the death of SRAM employee, Bill Keith. He died on the evening of Thursday, January 17, 2013.
According to conversations with SRAM employees, Keith commuted home via bicycle that afternoon and arrived at his residence safely. He was found some time later that evening and rushed to the hospital. The cause of death is unknown at this time, but our contacts say that there is no suspicion of any foul play. He was known to be in good health as an avid cyclist and triathlete.
SRAM hired Keith as their new Road Components Product Manager in 2008, after his tenure at Cannondale Bicycles.
This story hits close to home at Slowtwitch, as several staff members knew Bill personally for many years. Our own publisher, Dan Empfield, recounted spending time with him only a few short months ago in Kona, Hawaii, describing Keith as a “Great guy… fabulous guy.”
This editor personally knew Bill for several years, as one of his former coworkers at SRAM. I had the opportunity to work with Bill on many projects, and witnessed his optimism and enthusiasm on a daily basis. His favorite time of the year was most definitely October – in Kona. We shared more than one basket of Poke tuna at Huggo’s On The Rocks; his favorite meal on the island.
SRAM issued the following statement and tribute on their blog website, The Road Diaries.
No collection of words can adequately define a life, nor a life lost. Thursday evening the SRAM family, as well as the incredibly broad base of people he touched in so many communities, lost a great friend in Bill Keith. He was by definition our co-worker, our faithful product manager, but only for a short time relative to his time in the cycling industry. Beyond that he was a dedicated husband to his wife Pam, a passionate athlete, a loyal training partner and great friend. Bill was a person who absolutely squeezed the most out of every single day, he was truly an incredible person. We will miss Bill and our condolences go out to his family and to all those who knew and cared about him.
