Keith Kanbe Memorial Scholarship

Beloved Senior Office Associate for Anthropology, Keith Kanbe, passed away Oct. 19, 2021, in Laramie, Wyoming after suffering from a brief illness, surrounded by his close friends and family.

Kanbe was born in and grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, earning his degree in psychology, with honors, from the University of Hawaii in 1980. Kanbe later moved to Laramie to work at the university, going on to earn his master’s degree in counseling in 1990.

He first worked in the Department of English before moving to the Department of Anthropology as an office associate, where he was beloved by co-workers, peers and students alike.

A close friend and longtime co-workers, Faith Camargo, senior office associate in the departments of Geology and Geophysics and Anthropology, remembers Kanbe as a person who was always positive, helpful, caring, and loved by all in the office. “You always knew where Keith was because he had the loudest laugh. He had the biggest heart and was always positive,” Camargo says. “He was everybody’s rock here. Keith was the one person you could always go to and have a bad day, and he would turn it around.”

Those who worked with him in the Department of Anthropology remember Kanbe as a positive influence in the office and a dedicated worker who even continued to attend important department meetings when he began to feel ill. More than just the care he put into his work, people around him also remember his dedication as a father and family man.

Kanbe’s care, positivity, and contributions to the university have been and will continue to be missed.