Keith W. Antcliff
Sep 23, 2020 Spokane Washington
Keith W. Antcliff, 87, of Spokane, passed away from a brief illness at Sacred Heart in Spokane. Keith was the former president and co-founder of Concept Cable TV with his son Wayne of Newport. Keith spent his last days with his wife Barbara and family at his side sharing love and memories of some of his escapades though out the years. Keith had many friends in Newport and Priest River and loved to come up just to visit and give away toys to everyone.
Keith was born in Jackson, Mich. Dec. 22, 1932, to Lyle and Viola Antcliff. He spent his life just doing whatever interested him. He was an avid electronics man and built many radios and circuits in his youth, which carried him well in his life.
Keith was once busted by the federal government for operating an illegal transmitter during WWII Radio Silence. He was 12 at the time, operating a homemade short wave radio. His father and the officer found him upstairs hiding under the covers because he was operating with a stolen license. The federal officials warned his father that, “If he violates again you will receive up to one year in jail and fined $28,000.”
He enjoyed hot rod cars, speeding, and a genuine love for aviation. By the time he was 33 he had made over 150 sport parachute jumps and had built an airplane. He owned 22 airplanes in his lifetime and loved to fly anywhere, even out for coffee and doughnuts. Keith was the President of the Michigan Tech Mining and Technological University Sport Parachute Club from 1960-62.
Keith performed in air shows with his best friends Mike Scalera and the late Dan Abbott in “The 3 Sky Blues Brothers” air show team at Felts Field in Spokane and earned the nickname “Spokane’s Top Gun” from the news reporters and “Chairman of the Board” from his fellow pilots hanging out at the Skyway Cafe.
Keith served four years in the United States Navy during the Korean War as a Missileman 1st Class, (a new rank in those days) using his electronic skills with the Redstone Rocket program and the Talos Missile Project for missile guidance systems at White Sands Proving Grounds/ Los Alamos/Alamogordo New Mexico. His one complaint was never being sent to sea but ending up in a desert in the Navy.
In the early 1960s Keith started a television repair business in the basement but soon ran out of room so he built a garage onto the house and moved from the basement. Soon he had run out of space again so he took on a partner and opened television repair and sales stores in three towns. In 1968 he built a new single large store in Marquette, Mich. and then became Northern Michigan’s best repair and sales service. In 1971 the opportunity to bid on a military contract to provide cable television service to the local Air Force base came up. His late friend William G. Jackson asked him to partner with his knowledge and bid on the contract. They won the government contract and soon, had expanded to 10 military installations across the U.S. The partnership split up in 1981 and Keith landed a contract for Fairchild AFB and the City of Airway Heights. He loved the Spokane area so much he moved his family and business out west to manage the company in 1982 where he resided until his death. Keith loved life and had a real sense of humor, although quite warped at times.
He is survived by his wife Barbara, married 61 years, five children: Alice, Wayne, Emily, Carol and Gail and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren and his sister Mona Lee Johnson in Michigan.
There will be a celebration of his life sometime in the future and he did request his ashes be spread from a plane over Felts Field, his favorite hangout.
The Miner Community Newspaper Online, Pend Oreille River Valley
Sep 23, 2020 Spokane Washington
Keith W. Antcliff, 87, of Spokane, passed away from a brief illness at Sacred Heart in Spokane. Keith was the former president and co-founder of Concept Cable TV with his son Wayne of Newport. Keith spent his last days with his wife Barbara and family at his side sharing love and memories of some of his escapades though out the years. Keith had many friends in Newport and Priest River and loved to come up just to visit and give away toys to everyone.
Keith was born in Jackson, Mich. Dec. 22, 1932, to Lyle and Viola Antcliff. He spent his life just doing whatever interested him. He was an avid electronics man and built many radios and circuits in his youth, which carried him well in his life.
Keith was once busted by the federal government for operating an illegal transmitter during WWII Radio Silence. He was 12 at the time, operating a homemade short wave radio. His father and the officer found him upstairs hiding under the covers because he was operating with a stolen license. The federal officials warned his father that, “If he violates again you will receive up to one year in jail and fined $28,000.”
He enjoyed hot rod cars, speeding, and a genuine love for aviation. By the time he was 33 he had made over 150 sport parachute jumps and had built an airplane. He owned 22 airplanes in his lifetime and loved to fly anywhere, even out for coffee and doughnuts. Keith was the President of the Michigan Tech Mining and Technological University Sport Parachute Club from 1960-62.
Keith performed in air shows with his best friends Mike Scalera and the late Dan Abbott in “The 3 Sky Blues Brothers” air show team at Felts Field in Spokane and earned the nickname “Spokane’s Top Gun” from the news reporters and “Chairman of the Board” from his fellow pilots hanging out at the Skyway Cafe.
Keith served four years in the United States Navy during the Korean War as a Missileman 1st Class, (a new rank in those days) using his electronic skills with the Redstone Rocket program and the Talos Missile Project for missile guidance systems at White Sands Proving Grounds/ Los Alamos/Alamogordo New Mexico. His one complaint was never being sent to sea but ending up in a desert in the Navy.
In the early 1960s Keith started a television repair business in the basement but soon ran out of room so he built a garage onto the house and moved from the basement. Soon he had run out of space again so he took on a partner and opened television repair and sales stores in three towns. In 1968 he built a new single large store in Marquette, Mich. and then became Northern Michigan’s best repair and sales service. In 1971 the opportunity to bid on a military contract to provide cable television service to the local Air Force base came up. His late friend William G. Jackson asked him to partner with his knowledge and bid on the contract. They won the government contract and soon, had expanded to 10 military installations across the U.S. The partnership split up in 1981 and Keith landed a contract for Fairchild AFB and the City of Airway Heights. He loved the Spokane area so much he moved his family and business out west to manage the company in 1982 where he resided until his death. Keith loved life and had a real sense of humor, although quite warped at times.
He is survived by his wife Barbara, married 61 years, five children: Alice, Wayne, Emily, Carol and Gail and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren and his sister Mona Lee Johnson in Michigan.
There will be a celebration of his life sometime in the future and he did request his ashes be spread from a plane over Felts Field, his favorite hangout.
The Miner Community Newspaper Online, Pend Oreille River Valley
Keith W. Antcliff
Sep 23, 2020 Spokane Washington
Keith W. Antcliff, 87, of Spokane, passed away from a brief illness at Sacred Heart in Spokane. Keith was the former president and co-founder of Concept Cable TV with his son Wayne of Newport. Keith spent his last days with his wife Barbara and family at his side sharing love and memories of some of his escapades though out the years. Keith had many friends in Newport and Priest River and loved to come up just to visit and give away toys to everyone.
Keith was born in Jackson, Mich. Dec. 22, 1932, to Lyle and Viola Antcliff. He spent his life just doing whatever interested him. He was an avid electronics man and built many radios and circuits in his youth, which carried him well in his life.
Keith was once busted by the federal government for operating an illegal transmitter during WWII Radio Silence. He was 12 at the time, operating a homemade short wave radio. His father and the officer found him upstairs hiding under the covers because he was operating with a stolen license. The federal officials warned his father that, “If he violates again you will receive up to one year in jail and fined $28,000.”
He enjoyed hot rod cars, speeding, and a genuine love for aviation. By the time he was 33 he had made over 150 sport parachute jumps and had built an airplane. He owned 22 airplanes in his lifetime and loved to fly anywhere, even out for coffee and doughnuts. Keith was the President of the Michigan Tech Mining and Technological University Sport Parachute Club from 1960-62.
Keith performed in air shows with his best friends Mike Scalera and the late Dan Abbott in “The 3 Sky Blues Brothers” air show team at Felts Field in Spokane and earned the nickname “Spokane’s Top Gun” from the news reporters and “Chairman of the Board” from his fellow pilots hanging out at the Skyway Cafe.
Keith served four years in the United States Navy during the Korean War as a Missileman 1st Class, (a new rank in those days) using his electronic skills with the Redstone Rocket program and the Talos Missile Project for missile guidance systems at White Sands Proving Grounds/ Los Alamos/Alamogordo New Mexico. His one complaint was never being sent to sea but ending up in a desert in the Navy.
In the early 1960s Keith started a television repair business in the basement but soon ran out of room so he built a garage onto the house and moved from the basement. Soon he had run out of space again so he took on a partner and opened television repair and sales stores in three towns. In 1968 he built a new single large store in Marquette, Mich. and then became Northern Michigan’s best repair and sales service. In 1971 the opportunity to bid on a military contract to provide cable television service to the local Air Force base came up. His late friend William G. Jackson asked him to partner with his knowledge and bid on the contract. They won the government contract and soon, had expanded to 10 military installations across the U.S. The partnership split up in 1981 and Keith landed a contract for Fairchild AFB and the City of Airway Heights. He loved the Spokane area so much he moved his family and business out west to manage the company in 1982 where he resided until his death. Keith loved life and had a real sense of humor, although quite warped at times.
He is survived by his wife Barbara, married 61 years, five children: Alice, Wayne, Emily, Carol and Gail and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren and his sister Mona Lee Johnson in Michigan.
There will be a celebration of his life sometime in the future and he did request his ashes be spread from a plane over Felts Field, his favorite hangout.
The Miner Community Newspaper Online, Pend Oreille River Valley
Sep 23, 2020 Spokane Washington
Keith W. Antcliff, 87, of Spokane, passed away from a brief illness at Sacred Heart in Spokane. Keith was the former president and co-founder of Concept Cable TV with his son Wayne of Newport. Keith spent his last days with his wife Barbara and family at his side sharing love and memories of some of his escapades though out the years. Keith had many friends in Newport and Priest River and loved to come up just to visit and give away toys to everyone.
Keith was born in Jackson, Mich. Dec. 22, 1932, to Lyle and Viola Antcliff. He spent his life just doing whatever interested him. He was an avid electronics man and built many radios and circuits in his youth, which carried him well in his life.
Keith was once busted by the federal government for operating an illegal transmitter during WWII Radio Silence. He was 12 at the time, operating a homemade short wave radio. His father and the officer found him upstairs hiding under the covers because he was operating with a stolen license. The federal officials warned his father that, “If he violates again you will receive up to one year in jail and fined $28,000.”
He enjoyed hot rod cars, speeding, and a genuine love for aviation. By the time he was 33 he had made over 150 sport parachute jumps and had built an airplane. He owned 22 airplanes in his lifetime and loved to fly anywhere, even out for coffee and doughnuts. Keith was the President of the Michigan Tech Mining and Technological University Sport Parachute Club from 1960-62.
Keith performed in air shows with his best friends Mike Scalera and the late Dan Abbott in “The 3 Sky Blues Brothers” air show team at Felts Field in Spokane and earned the nickname “Spokane’s Top Gun” from the news reporters and “Chairman of the Board” from his fellow pilots hanging out at the Skyway Cafe.
Keith served four years in the United States Navy during the Korean War as a Missileman 1st Class, (a new rank in those days) using his electronic skills with the Redstone Rocket program and the Talos Missile Project for missile guidance systems at White Sands Proving Grounds/ Los Alamos/Alamogordo New Mexico. His one complaint was never being sent to sea but ending up in a desert in the Navy.
In the early 1960s Keith started a television repair business in the basement but soon ran out of room so he built a garage onto the house and moved from the basement. Soon he had run out of space again so he took on a partner and opened television repair and sales stores in three towns. In 1968 he built a new single large store in Marquette, Mich. and then became Northern Michigan’s best repair and sales service. In 1971 the opportunity to bid on a military contract to provide cable television service to the local Air Force base came up. His late friend William G. Jackson asked him to partner with his knowledge and bid on the contract. They won the government contract and soon, had expanded to 10 military installations across the U.S. The partnership split up in 1981 and Keith landed a contract for Fairchild AFB and the City of Airway Heights. He loved the Spokane area so much he moved his family and business out west to manage the company in 1982 where he resided until his death. Keith loved life and had a real sense of humor, although quite warped at times.
He is survived by his wife Barbara, married 61 years, five children: Alice, Wayne, Emily, Carol and Gail and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren and his sister Mona Lee Johnson in Michigan.
There will be a celebration of his life sometime in the future and he did request his ashes be spread from a plane over Felts Field, his favorite hangout.
The Miner Community Newspaper Online, Pend Oreille River Valley
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