Willard Augustus Keith was born in Havelock, Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada on 26 July 1886 as one of five children of Asa Harding Keith (1 Aug 1854 - 17 Dec 1936) and Almina Jane Freeze ( 16 Feb 1856 - 4 Jan 1838).
He was raised a devout and religious man of the Baptist faith and taught school in New Brunswick. In Aug of 1910, he came west and taught school in Edmonton, Alberta and later in Kimball, Mountain View, Cardston, Magrath and Raymond in Southern Alberta.
It was in Kimball where he met his wife, Esther Pearl Frodsham who had been born 14 Jun 1892 in Calls Fort, Utah and had just recently moved with her family to Southern Alberta. After a whirlwind courtship of three months they were married on the 19 of Jun 1912.
After much serious reflection, study and prayer, Willard was baptized into the "Mormon" faith (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) on the 6th of Mar 1914. The following month, he and his beloved wife traveled to Salt Lake City and went through the "Mormon" temple and were joined together "sealed" as husband and wife for all eternity.
After having two children (with the first dying at birth), Willard and his wife Pearl were called to leave Alberta for a time and serve a mission for their church in Samoa. There, their third child was born on June 17, 1917 - Ellis Vee Keith (who as an adult became one of the largest and most respected home builders in Canada ).
After serving as President of the Samoan Mission for the LDS Church they returned to Southern Alberta and Willard tried his hand unsuccessfully at farming and then again, very successfully at teaching school. It was while teaching school in Raymond, Alberta that he contracted Typhoid fever and died about six weeks later on 21 July 1931 at the young age of 44.
Willard and Pearl had six boys and four girls (all but Ellis Vee being born in Alberta), many of whom died young. They were: Willard Frodsham (1914-1914); Asa Howard (1915-1941); Ellis Vee (1917-1985); George Noel (1921-1945); June (1922-1986); Elaine (1924-1983); Merle (1925-1991); Kolleen (1927-1961); Willard Joseph (Twin-1 May 1928- 25 May 1928); Robert Laird (Twin-1 May 1928- 13 May 1928).