B. Keith Crew

B. Keith Crew

Cedar Falls

Keith was born in Biloxi, Mississippi on August 2, 1955 to parents Benjamin Ray and Daphryn Ann Crew. He died September 1, 2022 at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center following a sudden heart attack.

Growing up, he enjoyed his mother’s fantastic southern cooking, playing competitive board and yard games, and being mischievous with his three brothers. His father was in the United States Air Force, and Keith fondly remembered attending school in Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Okinawa, Japan; Tampa, Florida; and Montgomery, Alabama.

Keith attended Auburn University at Montgomery for his undergraduate degree. He received his masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Kentucky in Sociology, specializing in Criminology. He served as Professor of Criminology at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls for 34 years, before his retirement in 2019. He enjoyed teaching classes, engaging with his students, and focusing on his research related to social deviance and equality in the courts. During his time at UNI he served as Department Chair of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology; a Member and Prisoner Advocate on the Institutional Review Board; and was an active participant in several professional organizations. He was a regular attendee at noon basketball pick-up games with his colleagues and played in other basketball and softball leagues with his friends.

On October 17, 1992 he was married to Mary Jane (Mayhew) Rundall. He quickly adapted to the role of “Dad” for her two children and enjoyed attending their athletic and music events, coaching, helping with homework, and guiding them through their teenage years and early adulthood. Keith was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his 40s. Despite increasing symptoms over the years, he and Mary Jane remained active going on fishing trips, traveling to Italy, visiting their children and grandchildren, attending sporting events, theatre performances, and having game nights with their friends.

Keith learned to fish from his father and later fishing became a passion (obsession) for Keith. He also enjoyed yard games, drawing, writing comic strips and other works of humorous fiction, and listening to an eclectic mix of music from the Mississippi delta blues to abstract jazz, from psychedelic and avant-garde rock to classical symphonies. He loved making people laugh and was known to constantly crack bad jokes. One of his most recent pastimes was playing very competitive games of Scrabble with Mary Jane during lunch. He was an ardent fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team – Roll Tide!

Keith was extremely proud of his step-children and grandchildren and was known to lovingly brag about their accomplishments. He adored his wife, and referred to her as the Queen of the Household.

He is survived by his mother Daphryn Ann Crew, wife Mary Jane Crew, two step-children Sarah (Alex) Bridges and Shane (Alison) Rundall, and three grandchildren Lily Hope, Harper and Owen, brothers Kyle (Gayle) Crew and Kendall (Shandy) Crew, nine nieces and nephews, and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his father Benjamin and his brother Kerry.

He will be dearly missed.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, September 15 at St. Timothys United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The service will be live streamed through a link on Keith’s obituary page at www.dahlfuneralhome.com. Visitation will be from 3:30 PM until 6:30 PM on Wednesday, September 14 at Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home. Flowers are welcome and memorials may be directed to the family for a future charitable donation.