MICHAEL KEITH FULTZ was a selfless family man who lacked a filter and knew no stranger. When he was not on duty as a police officer, Michael Keith enjoyed softball, fishing, crabbing, walking, bike riding, cruising, singing, and cheering on the Cleveland Browns and Ohio State.
Michael Keith had a unique ability to converse with anyone. Whether he was talking shop while trading police patches in Bermuda or helping a stranger-turned-friend with directions in Washington DC, he had the gift of gab. “He could walk up to a stranger and give them a hug like he knew them for 20 years,” Michael Keith’s daughter, Mandy, said. “No matter what he was going through, he always had a smile on his face, and it lit up the room.”
While Michael Keith’s son, Kevin, admired his father’s outgoing nature, he said his father bordered on being “too personable” and was sometimes oblivious to social cues. “He would make conversation with people, but there were times people didn’t want to talk, and the concept of personal space never really connected in his brain,” Kevin said. “I always had to be on guard so I could turn around and be like, ‘I don’t know this guy!’” Despite the embarrassment,Mandy and Kevin loved their father’s goofy personality and the fact that he did not take things too seriously. They also enjoyed eating their father’s culinary creations—particularly chili, lasagna, and hot dogs with sauerkraut—and accompanying him to a buffet was a special experience. “The man could eat! When we went to a buffet, we would take two cars because we would get tired of waiting three hours for him to finish,” Michael Keith’s wife, Pam, said.“I swear Chesapeake Bay Seafood House closed because he ate them out of business!”
Michael Keith’s weapon of choice while making a dent at buffets was a salt shaker, and “if he did not see white on his food, then it wasn’t enough,” Pam said.
Joking aside, Michael Keith’s contribution as a police officer was powerful. He retired in 2008 after 25 years of service, where his generosity was on display through his work and his everyday interactions. “There was a hot dog stand run by a homeless couple, and instead of accepting the free drinks they tried to give him because he was a police officer, he would always make sure they had coffee money and he would buy them food,” Mandy said.
And then there was the time he made a prom experience one to remember. “Two young ladies were going to prom together but didn’t have dates. Mike offered to chauffeur them. He dressed up in his tux and drove them in a fancy car to the dance. He made a big production of getting out and opening the doors for them,” Pam said. “I’m sure the girls have fond memories from that.”
Michael Keith was popular among Mandy’s friends, especially when he played hairstylist. “He’d do my hair in a million teeny tiny braids, and then he would pick me up, hang me upside down by my feet, and spin me around. We called it my spider ‘do. My friends would be like, ‘Mr. Fultz, can we have spider ‘dos?’ He would braid everyone’s hair, flip us upside down, and swing us back and forth until his knees couldn’t take it anymore,” Mandy said.
Michael Keith’s family holds onto the memories, especially when they think back to April 2016. Michael Keith was riding his bike and was struck by a distracted driver. He passed away on April 15, 2016. In his last act of service, he gave the gift of life through organ, eye, and tissue donation.
“The nurses and the staff at Life Connection of Ohio were very gentle, kind, caring and compassionate. I can never say enough good things,”Pam said.
Getting used to life without Michael Keith was painfully difficult. “We get home, and there’s one less person in the house. We were struggling. We were sad all the time. I went through a period of time where I was really mad that my dad died, and I felt like there was nothing to celebrate,” Kevin said. “But then we got involved with Life Connection of Ohio and realized the good things that came from organ donation. We felt welcomed and understood and cared for. We could really feel the love, and that was big for us.”
Pam said she joined Life Connection of Ohio’s volunteer family to “force me to get out and not stay at home depressed.” She added, “Volunteering with Life Connection of Ohio helped tremendously with my grief. Keith was killed by a negligent driver, so you’ve got all this negative angst and grief, and volunteering with the organization that was able to do something to help other people helped me. My husband died, but lives were saved, so I could focus on my husband dying or I could focus on him saving lives. It was easier for me to find positive things to hold onto instead of wallowing in grief.”
Kevin is proud of his father’s donation decision and that he made his wishes known, and he encourages everyone to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors. “I don’t think there’s a good enough reason for someone not to register,” Kevin said. “Think about this decision being a guiding light of peace for your family to lean on after the fact. Think of the people you would leave behind.”
Michael Keith’s family volunteers for Life Connection of Ohio, the non-profit organization that serves families and saves lives through organ donation. To learn more about organ donation or to say “yes” to saving lives, visit lifeconnection.org. Kara Steele is Director of Community Services for Life Connection of Ohio. ✲
