He was the founder of LeRoy Plastics Incorporated in LeRoy. Keith operated the company from its inception in 1970 until 2010, when he sold it to his son, Ernest. He also acquired Hirschmann-Pohle Company in LeRoy, in 1974, which he operated until selling it in 1985.Following graduation from Batavia High School in 1958, Keith went on to study mechanical engineering at the University of Toledo. His first job after university was as a draftsman for Lapp Insulator in LeRoy. He also served as a vice president for the Association for the Blind in Rochester before founding LeRoy Plastics.
He was previously a member of Batavia Country Club, Livingston Country Club, Godfrey’s Pond (Bergen), LeRoy Historical Society, where he served as Treasurer, Oak Orchard Yacht Club, and Pheasant Hollow Gun Dogs and Hunting Club (Bloomfield). He was a long-time member of Stafford Country Club from 1976 to 2004 where he served on the Properties Committee and was later elected to the Board of Governors, where he served positions including Chair of the Properties Committee, Chair of the Golf and Rules Committee and Chair of the Tennis Committee. As an avid golfer, Keith played in most, if not all, of the club’s golf competitions, eventually winning the fourth flight trophy with his son in the 1996 Fall Festival. Aside from his love of golf, Keith was a life-long sportsman and gardener. He enjoyed deer hunting throughout his life, including in his later years where he was undeterred by his lack of a sure foot. He also had an impressive green thumb, which he inherited from his parents. He designed beautiful gardens, orchards and ponds at his homes, some of which were included in community garden tours.
Keith loved western New York. He was a scholar of the region’s history and an admirer of its beautiful lakes and countryside, which he continued to visit up until the time of his surgery for a pituitary gland tumor, the complications from which he did not recover. His last visit was to Letchworth State Park with his wife, Jane, in early August, and where the above photograph was taken. Over the course of his life, Keith purchased and refurbished four 19th century homes in Genesee, Monroe and Livingston counties. These included an 1827 Federal home at 7191 Randall Road in LeRoy known as “Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese”, an 1829 colonial farmhouse at 3660 Oatka Creek Road in Wheatland, an 1890 Victorian home at 5253 W. Lake Road in Geneseo, and an 1837 classic colonial home at 59 Second Street in Geneseo. He also designed and built a craftsman home at 8540 Oatka Trail in LeRoy. He loved to tell stories and was a delightful writer. Of his parents, he wrote, “Mom and Dad got married in LeRoy in 1937, in the afternoon. Dad was fishing on the Oatka that morning and couldn’t start his car, thereby causing him to have to run to the event, six miles away. But he did and here we all are.” Of his grandfather, Keith wrote, “My Grandfather played the piano, had a huge library, played chess with a carved ivory set and invented the word ‘aloof’.” Keith was a painter-hobbyist, working in oil. He enjoyed painting wildlife and nature scenes. He was an American history buff, and he especially enjoyed Revolutionary War, Civil War and presidential history. He was an avid reader of the Batavia Daily News, where in recent years when he read the obituaries of people he knew, he would yell, “I’ve won again!” His sense of humor will be missed.
Keith is survived by his wife of 19 years; Jane Truax; by his adult children, Ernest (Darlyne Ide), Pittsford; Betsy Hartman, Salt Lake City, UT; Jackie Rivkin, North Chili; Wendy (Kirk) Bateman, Idaho Falls, ID; and Prudy (Al) Sofer, Coconut Grove, FL, and by his stepdaughter, Camille (Stephen) Quattrini, Webster. He is also survived by his grandchildren Heather, Sarah, Alexis, Shelby, Brendan, Leah and Simon; his step grandchildren Jamie, Megan, Hunter, Rebecca and Natalie; and by his great grandchildren Lillian, Ava, Katherine, April and Jaxson. His English setter, Martha, also survives him.
The Truax family would like to extend its heartfelt appreciation to the staff at Strong Memorial Hospital and Gilmartin Funeral Home for their wonderful help and caring during and after Keith’s passing.
There will be no prior calling hours. Keith’s wishes were to be cremated and his remains placed in a nice vase, so he could continue to watch Bills’ games with Jane. A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date to be determined by the family.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Keith’s memory to the U of R Neurology Nursing Staff BAAC (5th floor / 3600 block) 300 East River Rd. Box 278996 Rochester, NY 14627. For more information please call 585-343-8260 or to leave a message of condolence or a memory about Keith, please visit www.gilmartinfuneralhome.com. Arrangements completed by Gilmartin Funeral Home & Cremation Company, Inc. 329-333 West Main Street Batavia, New York 14020.
