Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Keith Louis Hockman, 85, of The Dalles, Oregon, passed away peacefully at the Oregon Veteran’s home in The Dalles with family by his side, on Jan. 7, 2026.Keith was born on Oct. 24, 1940, in The Dalles. He was the second of four sons born to Orville L. and Cecil W. Hockman of the town of Moro in Sherman County, Oregon. Orville and Cecil owned a small dairy farm one mile north of Moro on Highway 97.
Keith was always a hard worker. He helped run the family farm by milking the cows before and after school each day. He also managed to letter in basketball, football, track, and baseball, for all four seasons, for the entire four years of high school. Keith graduated from Sherman County High School in 1959. After high school, he attended Oregon Technical Institute in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Following graduation, he began his lifelong career working in heavy construction. His first project was the John Day Highway Bridge. His work was put on pause when Keith was later drafted into the army in 1965 and completed his two years of service in Hawaii in 1967.
Upon returning to the mainland, Keith married Jean Anne Jones from The Dalles on Jan. 28, 1967. Keith also resumed his work in major infrastructure by building bridges and grain elevators throughout the Columbia River Gorge and further into Eastern Oregon. This led to the young couple living in many different parts of the region, including Hermiston, where they welcomed their first-born Teresa; Baker City, where their second child Brian was born; and The Dalles, where they established a home and strong community.
During his career, Keith became a master journeyman carpenter and worked on notable projects including the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and what is now known as the Moda Center where one of his favorite sports teams, the Portland Trailblazers, play.
Keith enjoyed fishing, yardwork, bowling, playing games, doing word searches, dancing, car rides, and spending time with friends and family. He was always willing to extend a helping hand and was especially fond of milkshakes.
Keith is preceded in death by both of his parents; two brothers, who passed as children, Gary Orville Hockman and Lee Dean Hockman; and his son, Brian K. Hockman. He is survived by his former wife, Jean Hockman; his daughter, Teresa Holgate and son-in-law, Stuart Holgate; five grandchildren, Zachery Holgate, Callie Holgate, Jule Holgate, Matthew Hockman, and Lucas Hockman; and two great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother ,Noel Hockman, and his two nephews, Darren and Dean Hockman.
Funeral services were held on Jan. 31 at Spencer, Libby & Powell Funeral Home, The Dalles.
Columbia Gorge News, Feb. 18, 2026
To plant a tree in memory of Keith Hockman as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) entries
Sign the guestbook.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.