Keith Underwood

Keith Taylor Underwood was born on November 12, 1938 in Shreveport, LA. He died October 10, 2019 in Spring, Texas. His parents were Rufus D. Underwood, Sr. and Mary Pitts Underwood, both of whom are deceased. His father was a well-known Church of Christ minister in Shreveport, LA, Huntsville, AL and Decatur, AL. Keith (Taylor) attended grade school at Lafayette St in Decatur, Junior/Senior High in Huntsville, and graduated from Decatur High in 1956. After high school, he attended Auburn University until 1958, when he entered the U.S. Air Force Aviation Cadet Program. ln 1959, he was commissioned a second lieutenant and awarded the aeronautical rating of navigator. His first operational flying assignment was at Barksdale AFB, LA where he met and married his wife to be, Linda. After several years of flying assignments in C-124, KC-97, and C-130 squadrons and a tour in Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles as a launch officer and command post controller, he was selected for an Air Force Institute of Technology study program at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln), which led to the award of a BS in Computer Science in 1971. He was subsequently assigned to AC-119K Stinger Gunships in Southeast Asia where he flew 135 combat missions over Laos and Vietnam. Various staff officer assignments followed the combat tour, including Air Defense Command with initial duty in the Cheyenne Mountain ADC/NORAD complex, HQ US Southern Command in the Panama C anal Zone, and HQ US Readiness Command at MacDill AFB. While in the Canal Zone, he pursued an off-duty graduate studies program which led to the award of a Masters in Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1979. Keith Taylor retired from the Air Force in May 1981 as a Lieutenant Colonel. His military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with valor V device and oak leaf cluster, and the Vietnam Service medal with three bronze campaign stars. His civilian years saw employment with The Aerospace Corporation, initially as a project engineer in support of the Space Shuttle Program and finally as a Systems Director at Johnson Space Center. He retired from The Aerospace Corporation in 1994. In addition to his wife, Linda, he leaves two sons, Keith Taylor Jr. and Ron, who live in Spring, TX and Denver Colorado, respectively. Keith Sr. and Linda were members of the Champions Church of Christ Houston. The Addison family and staff would like to extend our deepest condolences to Keith's family and friends.

Keith Underwood

November 12, 1938 - October 10, 2019