Dr Anthony Keese

Dr. Anthony Vanderbilt Keese Dr. Anthony "Tony" Vanderbilt Keese, age 98, passed away at his home in San Luis Obispo on August 12, 2015. Tony was born in Pasadena, California, in May 1917. He graduated from Stanford University in 1939, and then went on to complete a degree in orthopedic medicine at Duke University in Durham, N.C., in 1944. He married his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth Catherine Scales of Pasadena, in 1948 and moved to San Luis Obispo in 1951 where he enjoyed life raising four sons and serving his community. We would like to celebrate our Dad's life and tell a little of his background: Tony had an amazing life and career as one of the original leading orthopedic surgeons in San Luis Obispo for over 42 years until he retired at the age of 75. During this time, he was one of only two orthopedists practicing in San Luis Obispo County. He helped countless local citizens at the Sierra Vista Hospital and the San Luis Medical Clinic, both of which he co-founded. Frequently, friends of the family would show up at his home for assistance with a weekend injury. Tony was always glad to examine them and if needed patch them up down at his office, usually free of charge. During his medical career, Tony co-founded the Sierra Vista Hospital in 1959 and along with Dr. Harry Fryer also co-founded the Achievement House of San Luis Obispo that provided training and opportunities for adults with disabilities. In addition, Tony volunteered weekly at Chris Jespersen School providing medical care for children with special education needs, and donated his services at the San Luis Obispo County Hospital. Tony's other lifelong passion was cattle ranching. In 1964, he established the K-6 Angus Ranch near Pozo, California. Over a period of 50 years, Tony grew the ranch to include land in Creston and developed the K-6 Ranch into a thriving and functioning business. The K-6 specialized in breeding quality registered Angus bulls, a number of which were top performers at the Cal Poly Bull Test. After retirement, Tony spent as much time as he could working on the ranch, participating in team penning and sorting events, and enjoying the outdoors. He once said that he wished he had retired earlier from medicine because his ranching activities were so much fun! Tony "Doc" Keese served as the Beef Leader of the Bishop Peak 4-H Club for nearly 25 years sharing his love of cattle with the local community. His ranch provided replacement heifers and steers to many 4-H and FFA members for show and sale at the California Mid-State Fair. There were times he provided the feed and the financing for a child that needed help. Tony was also a generous buyer at the junior livestock auction at the fair and on occasion donated the animal back to the 4-H participant. In 1979, Tony was recognized as Citizen of the Year by the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce for his dedication to serving the community. He was a humble man. His acceptance speech was, "A short speech is a good speech. Thank you very much." In 2011, Tony was named Cattleman of the Year by the San Luis Obispo County Cattlemen's Association, honoring him for his contribution to the cattle industry. Along with his love of ranching, Tony was an active member of the Caballeros de San Luis Obispo horseback trail riding club for over 50 years, serving on the board of directors and holding the office of club President in 1999. The Caballeros club holds a 4-day ride every year over Memorial Day weekend at different ranches in San Luis Obispo County. Tony was known for his ability to win the fast-horse race and continued to win races against the young cocky cowboys up until he was 80 years old. He said it was all in the start, the one who got the best start usually won! Tony rode horses until he was 93. Tony really had a love for horses and looked forward to spending time with his son's and friends on the annual ride. Throughout his life Tony was an avid outdoorsman. During summer vacations while attending Stanford, he worked as a wrangler at Sweets Camp near Yosemite National Park and led many pack trips into the back country of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Tony loved the Sierras and enjoyed fishing, skiing, hiking, and pack trips throughout his life. Many of his vacations were horse pack and fishing trips into the Sierras with family and friends. Tony was a family man and role model to many people because of his integrity, dedication and willingness to give back to the community. He was especially dedicated to his grandchildren, regularly attending their sports and school events as well as contributing to their 4-H beef club and rodeo activities. His philosophy that he instilled in his sons was to work hard, be dedicated and finish what you started. Tony is survived by his wife of 66 years, Liz, and his four sons and their families: Larry (Margie), Jack (Pamela and their children Brent, Jaclyn, and Julie), Bill (Lee Anne Meinhold-Keese and their children Krystle, Karen, Gary, Heather, Holly, and Janelle), and Jim (Jennifer O'Brien and their daughter Maya), also including his great-grandchildren, Dillan and Kaylee. A Memorial Service for Tony will be held at the Presbyterian Church in San Luis Obispo on Friday, August 28, at 11:00am. A reception and lunch will follow at the Madonna Inn Garden Room at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to the Achievement House (http://www.achievementhouse.org/). Tony Keese had a long, wonderful and productive life that touched many people. Tony will be dearly missed by all who knew him. An acquaintance once described him perfectly: "He was a great man, he taught us all a lot. He just had a way about him, maybe to be fair and honest. So many things as you know. You just can't explain it to anybody." Private Cremation