LTC Ret. Keith E. Gay of Dothan, Alabama, passed away Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at home after a battle with Cancer. He was 72.

Keith was born on March 16, 1953, in Vicksburg, MS. He was a 1971 graduate of Cooper High School, and a 1975 graduate of The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). He received a master’s degree in leadership and organizational management at University of Redlands in California in 1978.

Keith firmly believed in God and Country, held a patriotic duty to serve. A retired lieutenant colonel and a dual rated aviator, he had 22 years of combined joint military service in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army, where he served in multiple air and ground assignments.

Keith was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force in 1975, and went through T-37/38 training at Craig, Air Force Base in Selma, Ala. The Air Force’s reduction-in-force placed new pilots on inactive reserve status for 36 months. Keith resigned and entered the Marine Corps’ Officer Candidate School.

During his time in Marine Corps he served as a second lieutenant in Artillery at 29 Palms, Calif., from 1976-1979; selected for Naval Flight Training, Naval Air Station (NAS) in Pensacola, Fla.; selected for Aviation Maintenance Management Officer (AMMO) School, NAS, Millington, Tenn., in 1980; assigned to VMFA-212 as an F-4 Naval Flight Officer in Kaneohe, Hawaii, from 1980-1983; attended Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and served as the detachment commander; served overseas deployments to Japan, Korea, and the Philippines; and was assigned to McDonnell Douglas Hornet Introduction Team (HIT) for F-4 transition to F-18- MCAS, El Toro, Calif.

Wanting to get back into flying, Keith transitioned to the Army for flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala., in 1983. He attended the Maintenance Course and AH-1 Cobra Maintenance Test Pilot course in 1984; was assigned to the 228th AHB, 1st CAV DIV, Ft. Hood, Texas; commanded the F/227, AVIM, 1st CAV DIV; executive officer for 1-7 CAV, 1st CAV DIV; served as the Aviation General Staff Officer, 19th Theater Support Command, Taegu, Republic of Korea; attended Command and General Staff College in 1991; served as Chief, Concepts/Studies Branch, Directorate of Combat Development (DCD), Fort Rucker in 1992; Deputy Director, DCD in 1993; Director, Aviation Battle Lab in 1995; served in the Operational Test Evaluation Agency/Command until 1997.

Always proactive and headstrong, realizing what he wanted, and working hard to achieve his goals, Keith helped start up Navigator Development Group Inc., following his retirement from the military. Through a partnership buyout in 2016, Keith became the full owner of Navigator, and its headquarters, which is the historic Rawls Hotel in downtown Enterprise.

Under Keith’s leadership, Navigator thrived and doubled its size of the company over the past few years.  He created a remarkable command-climate, sense of belonging, and pride within the company. We all describe Navigator as Keith’s extended family, which is solely based on his genuine care and concern for all of his employees. Keith was proud of the fact that he helped build an enduring organization where he was able to work side by side with his son Sam over the past two decades. The daily interactions, special projects, and sounding board sessions, meant the world to Keith knowing that he was mentoring his son to one day assume the helm of his lasting legacy.

Navigator has not only lost our boss, but more so, our larger-than-life family patriarch.