I am writing this as father- in-law to Randy’s daughter Lauren who is married to my son Charlie. Nikki and I first met Randy in April 2019 and it was obvious from that very first meeting that Randy was a kind, caring, gentle- gentleman with a lovely sense of humour and a fount of knowledge in many areas, in particular about the ocean. 

We always enjoyed his tales of the amazing adventures he had while diving or sailing and treasure the time we spent with him and Maritha along with Charlie and Lauren on a sailing trip around the BVI. 

Randy had a quiet, reassuring determination to follow his dreams and he is sorely missed by everyone who knew him especially Maritha, Lauren and Austin. Although we had not known him for long, it was a privilege to meet a very special human being.

His memory will live on in his children and our beautiful granddaughter Mia.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the comments about RANDY. They all made me wish that when I had spent time with him that I had delved in deeper with him. I know Maritha and Lauren very well. The one thing that I can say about RANDY, based off of the memories that I have in  addition to all the wonderful things people have said, is that he was very generous. I had an arrangement with RANDY to work in the Peter Island dive shop in exchange for free diving occasionally, and helping him when he had lots of clients. If my memory serves me correctly, it was for at least a month during a summer and it seemed to me that I only worked in the shop two or three times. The rest of the time, I just went diving with he and Armando. What I loved about RANDY and Armando for that matter, is that they were both legends in the BVI. And they treated me as if I were a legend too. Those were some of the most glorious days I ever spent I. The BVI  and  I 

Had lived there for 5 1/2 years..

Maritha and family , Sandra and I do feel your pain of losing Randy . Any suffering is over he being at total peace . We do understand those left behind must find ways to be positive and thankful for having shared your lives with Randy . Life goes on for you while Randy lays back at peace . I will say Randy was a man exuding strength , fearlessness and love of the Oceans , love of the below surface world. Randy was a man whom when I first meet I feel this right away and am loaded with respect. 

We are so sorry about Randy passing on and our full intention is to be present wherever you lay him to rest. 

Stay Strong for Randy 

Randy is the husband of my best friend Maritha. But he is also my son’s mentor in scuba diving and a great father figure. 

Since the age of 5 , my son Lu spend very much time with school friend Austin, Randy and Maritha. They  always had fun projects for our kids like building a tree house among others!

But for me, Randy is my Jacques Cousteau. Every time I scuba dive I think of him . 

Randy, Maritha, Lauren and Austin shared their love of diving with my son Lu and me.  Lu worked at the Peter Island dive shop with Randy and that was an amazing working opportunity. I was so proud of him. But for me , my first scuba dive out of Sandy Cay in the British Virgin Islands was with Maritha and Randy. It was the beginning of a great adventure. And diving is now my very favorite sport.

I never got tired of hearing all the incredible stories Randy could tell. It was pure joy to know him because he was  full of love, a great father and  he welcome us many time my son and I into his home like if we were his family.❤️

After hurricane Irma, we both found shelter there and my son Lucien spend the pandemic under the Keil roof learning the Real Estate business and spending lots and lots of time with Randy .

Thank you Randy. I will never never never forget you. You made our lives, my son and I , extra special !!! I was blessed  that you were part of our journey, Lu and I ! Thank you so much. You are an amazing inspiration for the both of us.

And every time I go blow some dive bubbles I think of you!😊❤️

Dear Maritha, Lauren & Austin,

There are no words to say how sorry I am for your loss. I hope that Randy did not suffer. I am sure you feel that he is in a better place now. 

I am sorry I cannot give you in-person hugs, but I know you can feel the spiritual hugs. When you have time, we will talk. It has been far too long, my friend.

Much love,

Debbie & Bart

Not much to this story. Jim Scheiner and I were working on Tejas, at the Treasure Isle Jetty. Randy was overdue on Apache. We called and called (VHF Radio)...  "Apache, Apache, Apache...Tejas" No response. After a good while, Randy responded with a short response...he'd be back soon. 

He was diving Deadchest and the anchor line broke. Randy put the divers ashore, and SWAM...he SWAM across to Deadman's Bay to retrieve MV Apache. 

Maritha & Lauren,

Barb and I were so sorry to hear of Randy’s passing. He was truly a unique person. I did not get to see Randy much in the years following Irma, but he never failed to have a quick smile and a laugh. No matter how down I might have felt before running into Randy, I always left with a smile on my face.

Randy was a diver’s diver. I started diving is the late 60’s and got my instructor’s certification in 1973. But I never failed to learn something from Randy whenever we went diving. He was truly a joy to be with underwater. He once told me that, after doing dive tours 5 days/week, he would go diving on his days off. Randy forgot more about diving than many of us will ever know.

He was a true humanitarian as well. When we started the Kids And The Sea Program in 1990, Randy was a huge supporter. I had an unrealistic dream about extending the program into Scuba Diving. Randy and Derrylyn Churchwell actually made that happen. It was many young Virgin Islanders first exposure to the sport. I believe that they may have launched the initiative we now see in the Caribbean Scuba Industry of training local youth for little or no money.

Randy will be missed by many, none more than Barb and me.

Sincerely,

Tom Gerker

Twelve days after Randy passed, one of his soul mates, Jimmy Buffet, also moved on.  They were born 7 months apart and I always felt Randy's outlook on life was embodied in many Buffet songs.  Randy - Dive Master  and lover of life - always comes to mind when I hear Jimmy's "Bubbles Up":

"Bubbles up, they will point you toward home, no matter how deep or how far you roam.  They will show you the surface, the plot and the purpose, so when the journey gets long - just know that you are loved, there is light up above and the joy is always enough."  

"Bubbles Up" wherever you are, Randy - fellow reader of both great and not-so-great books, books, books!

I worked with Randy at the Aquatic Centre’s and attended Randy and Maritha’s wedding at Cooper Island.

(October 1981) As a recent addition to the team at the Aquatic Centre’s, just like Randy, I experienced my inaugural dive of the Rhone on the anniversary of its sinking, October 29, 1981, accompanied by Randy himself. As a diver still early in my career, I had the privilege of being trained by three experts in the water: Randy, Jim Scheiner, and of course George Marler.

The dive coincided with the 114th anniversary of the Rhone's sinking, and for the occasion, someone had brought a bottle of champagne underwater. Randy organized us at the ship's bow for a commemorative photo. He was convinced I was too buoyant – a condition I had never encountered before (I sink!) – and repeatedly pushed me down.

However, it wasn't a buoyancy issue; my upper thighs were rubbing against the sting of fire coral, and it hurt! The bottle broke and the dive continued. Once back on Apache, I showed Randy the proof, and he responded with his amazing smile, his head tilt, and that Randy laugh.

To me, Randy was a hero. A larger-than-life Green Beret who just wanted to share the beauty of the Caribbean Sea with everyone he could. Let’s go diving!

The earliest Randy memories are me as an annoying kid wrestling with him thinking I could beat up a Green Beret.  The other is him teaching me to scuba dive in the Prospect Reef pool.

I remember my first ocean dive (at 7) with him saying to my parents before a dive: "Oh, let's just take Tad with us...he can use my octopus regulator and dive next to me. It will be OK".  We jumped in together and the love for the ocean continues to this day.

A lot of time passed since that first dive.  An overall memory I have of times with Randy is - he was a companion. By that I mean we could dive for a week, quietly read and talk about books on the Peter Island ferry, have conversations that often had him just laughing with a simple yes or no reply and getting a Becks beer on the way home.

As I was close to graduating college, I remember us talking about jobs and what to experience in life. Randy was probably in his early 50's. I remember him talking about how much he enjoyed his job and where he lived.  I think he literally said - Ah, life can't get better than this....

The last time my wife and I dove with Randy was before Charlie and Lauren's wedding. I didn’t know it would be our last, but had gratitude to be with the Keils and had lunch next with Randy as we talked about our boys playing sports.

When he passed away and besides sadness, I kept coming back to the basic thought: Most people in life search for a great spouse, want a job they enjoy, have great kids, and live in a great place.  Most people spend a lifetime trying to experience one or two of these things, but rarely do you get all of them.

Randy found a life adventure partner with Maritha, Lauren and Austin are great kids, built a career doing the one thing (scuba) he enjoyed the most, and lived in the BVI.  He got all 4 and had a life well lived!

Trish here - who ran Serendipity in the BVI for many years.  How inspirational Randy was in my life in BVI.  From the early days in 1990 when  he was part of the tiny team that decided to form ARK ( Association of Reef Keepers) - to later days of  his participation in our annual Reef Checks.   I always think of Randy as my "Dive Guru".  There will be a millions stories of Randy  and diving but my personal ones are:

Dave and I decided to visit Cuba - Forgetting that Randy was ex Navy Seal or for that matter an Amercian and therefore "unwanted" at the time in Cuba - I asked Randy if he  had dived Cuba and did he have any hints. Randy's reply was that he had been in Cuba diving once - its was nightime and he didnt remember any coral!!  I retrospect I assume he was one of the brave Seals who went into Bay of Pigs underwater as the early assault!!!

Randy as a father was at his best when Randy, Lauren, myself and a couple of Randy's clients from Peter Island went to Galapagos Diving.  We were on Lammer Law.   Lauren was in her early 20's, stunningly beautiful, and a diver extraordinaire who like her father barely consumed air underwater.  One of the Dive Masters on the boat was a married, 40ish Equadorian who had just returned from the USA and studies.  He unashamedly "moved in" on Lauren.  Everyone got annoyed with him and most people tried desperately to dive with the other Dive master!!!  In the salon one evening he and Lauren were in chairs - having a chat and a drink - enter protective  father Randy - who quietly grabbed a chair and pulled it between the two of them -  not a word said!!!!  But it was pretty bloody obvious that this Equadorian married dood with kids was not going to mess with Randy's daughter.

It is never easy to lose a husband or a father too soon.  But how blessed you all are to have such a treasure trove of memories that will let you smile and laugh when you miss your husband or father.  He was deeply loved and respected by so many.  May his spirit float happily in his beloved ocean realm.  

My condolences to the entire Keil family. Words can’t express our feeling of loss. Randy was a “bigger than life” real Action Hero to so many. Whether it was 40 years ago when our 6 year old son chased Randy around the house wrestling and jumping off beds and furniture, so that he could proudly announce that he had beaten a Green Beret, or 10 years ago when we brought 10 college students to the BVI to get their foreign travel credit along with a scuba certification, he was a hero to everyone who crossed his path. Whether it was the first time or the 50th, that someone heard his story of the sinking of the Rhône, everyone was captivated by his excitement and ability to make the 150 year old wreck come alive!!!

I'm not sure how anyone can be thankful for Covid, but Tina and I feel blessed that both Randy and Maritha came to NC in 2022, only to come down with the virus 2 days after their arrival. For the next 8 days, we got to turn the tables and serve two people who had spent their lives serving others... with nothing to do, or places to go, except share our time together and talk. As we look back, it was a special final memory of our life with Randy!

Blessings to all of you.

Tom and Tina Dunn