Keith Gingerich, MD
Jul 6, 1957 - Aug 7, 2025
Dr. Keith Alan Gingerich (68) of Valparaiso resigned his time on earth on Thursday, August 7, 2025, in the same way that he resigned anything: reluctantly, and with charmingly characteristic stubbornness. Keith passed onto his next big adventure while surrounded by his loving and cherished blended family. Born in Valparaiso on July 6, 1957, to Delmar and Betty (Foster) Gingerich, Keith graduated from Morgan Township High School in 1975 before receiving his B.S. from Valparaiso University in 1979. To hear Keith tell it, being told by peers in his youth of the unlikelihood of a kid from Morgan Township growing up to become a doctor served as motivational fuel, rather than a deterrent: he earned his M.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1983. Dr. Gingerich began his career as a physician in Valparaiso in solo private practice. In 2017, he returned to his Hilltop roots as a physician for Valparaiso's HealthLinc, a role from which he retired in March of 2025.
On February 14, 1997, Keith married Terri (Upton) Connors, who survives along with children Jacob Krejci (fiancée – Jenn Nickel) of North Carolina; Allisa (Nate) Corsbie of Colorado; Olivia (Nick) Leyva of California; Daniel Connors (fiancée – Stephanie Ranegar) of Brownsburg; Susannah (Nicholas) Larson of Valparaiso; siblings David (Carol) Gingerich; Joanne (Ernie) Prater; John (Linda) Gingerich; Sara (Randy) Ballinger; mother-in-law Janet Upton; and grandchildren James (Christelle) and Annabelle Krejci; Benjamin and Raymond Larson; and Sierra and Hugh Corsbie. He was preceded in death by his parents and father-in-law Donald Upton.
As a community mourns an exemplary physician who consistently went above and beyond in his care for others – often even more so than for himself – his wife's and children's grief is punctuated by the smiles and laughter brought about by fond memories of a quirkier side of Keith. He was at once a passionate photographer with an eye for uncommon beauty; an inventor; a tech gadget collector with a sadly unreciprocated love for electronics; a musician whose fingerpick guitar style was inspired by favorites Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, and James Taylor; a fan of Monty Python; and the world's foremost aficionado of corny dad-jokes. Not only would Keith likely be the first person to selflessly offer to you anything that you required, he would almost certainly already be carrying it inside of his seemingly bottomless pockets. In what became a travel tradition, Keith's family could frequently be found clapping for him at a TSA checkpoint, once he finally made it through airport security without one of his millions of pocket-dwelling tools setting off the metal detectors.
Keith will similarly be remembered as the pinnacle of patience: a calm and steady force who provided stability amidst challenging times. This patience could be seen on display with his patients, with whom he insisted on taking his time and providing nothing less than the most thorough care. Despite his cool and unshakeable demeanor, Dr. Gingerich, was a fierce advocate for the medically underserved and fought unapologetically against the medical gaslighting of vulnerable patient populations.
A visitation will be held Monday, August 11th, from 3 to 7 p.m., at Moeller Funeral Home, in Valparaiso. A memorial service will be held the following day, Tuesday, August 12th, at 11 a.m., at Trinity Lutheran Church, 201 N. Washington St., Valparaiso, with Rev. Timothy Leitzke officiating. Click here to watch the memorial service. Memorial donations may be made to the Dr. G Memorial Fund through HealthLinc, Inc., at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=NQX99KWT56SE8&source=qr
Ever on-brand, Dr. Gingerich would have loved to use his final influence to help others – by encouraging all to stay healthy and to get a colon cancer screening. If one impression of Dr. Keith Gingerich remains in our collective consciousness, it's this: they just don't make them like that anymore.
