Arianna Peper
Editor in Chief
“Keith was a gentle giant. Like, he really was just all kindness,” drama department teacher Todd Schaefer said about his colleague Keith Chatman.
Keith Chatman, born September 21, 1963, passed away on Feb. 12, 2026.
Chatman served as a part of the Custodial Daytime team for 27 years, sharing kindness and compassion with each person he interacted with, Schaeffer said.
Schaeffer, who spoke daily with Chatman in the mornings, said, “What I always loved about Keith too was when students were coming, because I always had people stopping by in the mornings, and he would always engage the kids in conversation. Keith was very religious, so he was always promoting a good kind of vibe in the room. He led by example, and he was a very kind-hearted person.”
Senior Malachi Lewis said what stood out the most to him about Chatman was “his smile and his care for the people around him.”
Lewis also added, “Everyday last year I didn’t have lunch with any of my friends so I sat with Mr Keith and we would just talk and talk and it was amazing.”
Custodians and close friends of Chatman Gladys Campbell and Robert Burns also described Chatman as a funny guy, full of laughter, who one could ask for anything and he’d never let them down.
“As a person he was ‘Crazy Keith’ because he would come in every morning and put on a dance, and he loved dancing,” Campbell added.
Burns also said how “everybody liked him; he was a really respected guy.”
Outside of WGHS, Chatman was a member of the Saints Fellowship Mission Church and enjoyed helping and spending time with his family.
Schaeffer said, “He knew I was rehabbing houses, and he was working on his house, so we’d always have conversations about, ‘oh what was he gonna do about fixing this or that’ and how to lay flooring, etc. He was doing all kinds of reconstruction on his house. I also gardened, so we had a lot of gardening talk those last couple of years because he was helping his mom clean up her yard, and then it got to planting and landscaping talk.”
With only two years left until Chatman could retire, Schaefer said Chatman would often mention his post retirement goals of shifting from working on campus to working more to help his loved ones.
“I think it was just kind of moving and shifting that time over to people that were directly connected family wise, but he didn’t really get an opportunity to do that, and that’s the sad part. I feel for his family and I know they are definitely missing the man. That man bent over backwards for his family, and in our talks in the morning he would always tell me what he was doing to help his family or church group,” Schaefer said.
Chatman’s connection to his church was reflected through his kindness and positive approach to others, Schaefer said.
Campbell said, “If anything ever upset him, you would never know unless he told you because he always kept a smile on his face.”
As for his legacy at WGHS, principal Tony Gragnani said, “Keith’s willingness to help anyone is something that is truly inspirational. It did not matter who you were. Keith was always willing to help out.”
Arianna Peper–Editor in Chief
This will be Arianna Peper’s third year on ECHO staff. She made several contributions while taking journalism class her freshman year.
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