SALT LAKE CITY — Brian O'Keefe, known to some friends as Keith, died Sunday in the mountains above Midway, Utah. His family chose to honor his memory by giving back to the volunteers who rushed to find him.
Brian was an expert in the backcountry. His family described him as a savvy outdoorsman who always took precautions and had the right gear on hand.
Preparation doesn’t always stop tragic events and while Brian was leaving a clearing to join the rest of his group, he was caught in an avalanche.
His brother Brent had talked to him the day before about avalanche conditions.
”He went out on Sunday as well and did the same thing,” said Brent. “They noticed a massive debris field and instantly got into search mode, couldn't find a signal on his beacon and that's when they called Search and Rescue."
Brian’s youngest brother, Kelly, described his reaction to learning about his brother.
”Complete shock. I think when we get the call, just hard to believe. You can't fathom and it just doesn't even seem real to you," said Kelly.
"You just don't think it can happen to someone that's so calculated. And unfortunately, it was our reality that he wasn't coming back," Brent added.
When that reality set in, the O'Keefe family turned their attention to the people who had done everything they could to bring Brian home — Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. The group is made up of ski patrollers who volunteer their off-hours to life-saving operations in the backcountry.
Kelly spoke with Marguerite Van Komen with Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. A rescuer herself, she talked about the urgency of their work.
"It's 100% go mode. We're doing everything we can to get on scene, hopefully within that 15 to 30 minutes within the avalanche," Van Komen said.
"What an incredible thing that they're doing. It'll help with education of our members, our canines, and then transmit into education of our community as well. It's unbelievable," Van Komen said.
Kelly O'Keefe said the gesture was about more than his brother.
"Just acknowledgement of those that are out there risking their lives day in and day out to help families like ours in these tragic situations," Kelly said.
