Windsurfing Magazine

Windsurfing community mourns Ned Keys
"Go big or go home". Anyone who knew northern Michigan sailor Ned Keys had heard the gutsy sailor's life-long mantra. As of September 26th, 2006, it will be heard no more, as the Keys family and windsurfers across the nation mourn the unfortunate passing of a dear friend and a perpetually stoked sailor.

Born in Sandusky, Michigan, in 1941, Ned Keys was a life-long adventure seeker whose many hobbies included sailing, waterskiing, snowboarding, kayaking, riding motorcycles, and of course, windsurfing. The 30-year veteran of the windsurf industry also had a penchant for exploration – after sailing his 33-foot sailboat, the Ishtar, through the Inland Waterway all the way to the Bahamas and back, Ned's adventurous spirit led him to organize numerous trips to windsurfing destinations. Ezzy's Tim Ortlieb, who Keys introduced into the windsurfing industry, remembers being among the first Americans to visit the island of Margarita.

Of course, Ned was as eager to sail the Great Lakes' chilly waters as he was to sail the warm waters of theCaribbean. Former pro sailor Maui Meyer recalls visiting Ned while doing traveling windsurfing clinics during his college years. "You can't honestly call yourself a well traveled windsurfer until you've sailed the Great Lakes in the Summertime," says Meyer. "White sand dunes, blue water, and a surprising amount of exploration to be had up there. I remember Ned taking us around to all the local spots, and being a perfect example of someone in the windsurfing family that I could always return to and be welcome." But surely Ned's favorite sailing was in the fall, when blustery storms whipped Lake Michigan into a frothing sea of foam and water. "The Northwest Gales that took down the Edmund Fitzgerald are the same ones that make for a pretty good 3.2 day with mast-high swell on Lake Michigan," says native Michigander and long-time friend Rob McCready, "and Ned was always the first one rigging up."

In addition to catching every storm sesh Lake Michigan had to offer, Ned was incredibly active in his community teaching windsurfing, snowboarding, and kayaking, right up until he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in July. Once the tumor was removed, Ned battled strongly, fighting with swelling in the right side of his brain which limited his speech and impeded movement of his limbs. When the occupational therapist who was helping Ned regain movement of his limbs asked him what he wanted to be able to do, the first word out of Ned's mouth was "Windsurf". Unfortunately, three months after the initial surgery, Ned Keys passed away when his brain tumor re-grew. Ned is survived by his mother, Dorothy Miller; his children, Aaron and Hilary; his stepson, Jamie Walker, and their mother, Debbie Keys; stepsisters Claudia Federer and Linda Miller of Cleveland, Ohio, and Rosemary Gordon of Tucson. Arizona.

A memorial service in celebration of Ned's life was held on Thursday, October 5th. In lieu of flowers, gifts were made in Ned's name to some of the organizations he supported during his life. If you would like to make a gift in Ned's name, contact Tim Ortlieb at ezzy@gorge.net.



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