Keith William Rokoske

Keith William Rokoske, of Durham, NC, passed away surrounded and supported by close friends and family on August 8, 2025 at 11:11 pm. He was the loving husband of Franzi Rokoske, father of Noah Rokoske, son of Tish Rokoske and the late Tom Rokoske, brother of Greg Rakauskas (Joanne Belanger) and Leslie Rokoske (Tom Morris), uncle to Grace Brian (Keegan Brian), Sam Rakauskas, and Robert Morris (Megan Buck), Hannah Morris, and Peter Morris, and great-uncle to Walter and Douglas Brian. He is also survived by his aunts Margie Bullard and Tamara Stresau (Mike Stresau), and numerous cousins.

Keith was born in Opelika, AL, on January 15, 1971, and grew up in Boone, NC, developing many close friendships through sports, church, and school. After graduating from Watauga High School in 1989, he spent a year studying abroad in Fribourg, Switzerland with the AFS student exchange program. He went on to study geography at Penn State and later earned his Master’s degree in Geography with a concentration in Cartography at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He nurtured his love of hiking and skiing while in Colorado, activities he enjoyed with his family throughout his adulthood. In 1997, he moved to Arlington, VA to begin his career at the US Census Bureau.

Keith and Franzi met in the summer of 1992 when they were both camp counselors at Camp Broadstone in Valle Crucis, near Boone, NC. They developed a friendship which they maintained for years despite their geographic distance. The stars finally aligned for them in 1997 and they married in September 1999. They welcomed their only child, Noah, in May 2005.

Keith’s many interests included music (especially Bluegrass, being an Appalachian Mountain boy), travel, skiing, hiking, and beekeeping, an interest he cultivated during the Pandemic. He loved sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of music and mountains with everyone! He especially enjoyed live music and attended concerts and music festivals, including MerleFest, with friends and family every year. ALS took so much from him, but his spirit was never broken by the ravages of this awful disease.

A memorial service will take place at First Presbyterian Church in Durham, NC on Saturday September 20, 2025 at 10 am. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the ALS Association.