Keith A. Francis, 56, of New Bedford died July 27, 2011 at home after a long illness.
Born and raised in New Bedford, the son of the late Louise A. (Monteiro) Ramos and Wesley A. Francis, he lived in Maryland for 30 years before returning to New Bedford in 2010.
He was a parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
Keith was formerly employed as a probation officer in Superior Court in Washington, DC before becoming an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. He retired from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a Senior Intelligence Analyst.
He was a graduate of New Bedford High School where he played basketball and ran track. He was an all-American and holds numerous school records and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Keith later graduated from Boston College where he holds records in 8 events, was a 7 time All-American and was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame. He represented the United States in international meets throughout Europe against the Soviet Union and China and competed in the 1976 Olympic trials. He later received his Masters Degree from Boston University. He was proud of attending Boston College and was presently a member of the Board of Trustees.
Keith enjoyed time spent with his family and friends.
Survivors include his companion, Gail Oliveira of New Bedford; 3 daughters, Nichelle Santos of Chicago, Karly Francis of Boston and Tiara Louise Francis of Washington, DC; 2 step-brothers, Kenneth Ramos and Jaime Ramos, both of New Bedford; 2 step-sisters, Adele Ramos and Mary Lyn Ramos, both of New Bedford; many aunts, uncles and cousins.
He was the brother of the late Kenneth Francis and the step-son of the late Joseph "Jiggs" Ramos.
Funeral from the Saunders-Dwyer Home For Funerals, 495 Park St. New Bedford Monday, August 1st at 8 AM. Funeral Mass at Our Lady of the Assumption Church at 9 AM. Burial will follow in St. John's Cemetery. Visiting hours Sunday, July 31st from 4-8 PM.