Keith Lyell Bagdon

Keith was a solid, young man. He trained BJJ at Synthesis BJJ with. He was a very respectful and quiet teammate. He showed up, put work in, and earned his results.

Keith also was the webmaster for the Synthesis BJJ webpage. He redesigned our catalog system for technique videos on our webpage. It made it much more user friendly and he designed it to look and work exactly like we wanted.

He will be missed in so many ways, by so many peoole. His little smile/smirk will be missed. His conversations will be missed. He will be missed as a training partner and friend.

I hope he has finally found peace. If any of Keith's family or friends want to visit Synthesis and see where he spent a lot of his free time you are welcome any time.

Keith was so young and had so much yet to accomplish. My thoughts and prayers are with Keith, his family, and his friends. RIP buddy.

Keith was always quiet and respectful during Jiu Jitsu class. I can remember one of his first weeks at class and how little he knew as a complete beginner, but then being completely impressed by his commitment to showing up and how good he was becoming as he continued to embrace the sport. He always rolled tough and with thoughtfulness. I could tell he was progressing towards something more within jiu jitsu and moreso life itself.

His quietness, and some would say "quiet awkwardness" within class was something I noticed and connected with when we would talk after rolls. Complementing him on what he was doing right would always bring a sly smile to his face and I always liked passing a joke by him as I found we had similar senses of humor.

Keith was a great contribution to the jiu jitsu community he practiced with, and I could tell that deeper down he was much more than a jiu jitsu practitioner.

Rest easy, brother Keith.

Keith and I trained together at Synthesis and I was very shocked and saddened to have learned of his passing. He was always kind and respectful and we had some great conversations together, he kind of reminded me of myself when I was 20 years younger. I wish I could talk to him again. He will be missed. My condolences.

Keith was always very quiet and respectful. Always had a smile on his face. It was a pleasure getting to both teach him and train with him. He was a great addition to our jiujitsu family and will be missed.

I met Keith when he came to Synthesis here in Rochester. He was a fun guy and we got to roll plenty of times when he came to open mat. He will truly be missed. My condolences to his family.

Keith and I met under good circumstances. We were both on track to graduate RIT so instead of spending our hours responsibly doing homework, we found ourselves training on the mats. We checked in with each other's academic progress every time we met in the lockers or on the mats, and as graduation drew closer, so did the realization that we wouldn’t be coming back to school for the first time in 22 years. Keith was a genuine guy - he had heart, humanity, and kindness. Yeah, he was crazy stubborn and was undoubtedly a mystery, but we all know those traits only make for a better Software Engineer and Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.

When Keith and I met, he already had a year or so of Jiu-jitsu experience under his belt. He was one of the first people to give me pointers every time we rolled and was deceivingly technical. He was always open and approachable for advice whether it was BJJ, RIT, or career-related. He even helped me set up my mouthguard before my first competition. One memory that sticks with me is after not seeing each other for a while, we had a hard roll which he did not hold back in. The very first thing he said to me after the five minutes was how much I improved and how close I was getting to being able to beat him. There are not many selfless characters in this ego-riddled sport, and his genuine investment of his training partners' progress is something I wish I could have reciprocated to him.

However, Keith and I left off on not-so-great terms. Keith cranked an illegal move on me out of nowhere paired with an evil-looking grin. I was pissed. I was quick to distance myself, hold a grudge, and let rumors spread by someone else about him fuel my negative feelings. I let this same character justify and amplify the resentment I had for Keith at the time, and It’s a mistake I wish I could take back. I stopped talking to Keith and stopped rolling with him completely. But this isn’t about that. We are here to celebrate Keith's life and the impact he had on all of us. Still, I feel it’s important to say: I’m sorry, Keith.

In my attachment, you'll see a .gif of Keith eagerly sprinting over to help someone new with a rear naked choke, I think that was one of his favorite submissions.

When Keith and I met, it wasn’t under the best terms, things got a little heated in a training session, and we didn’t talk for a couple of weeks after. On more than one occasion, would share the same jiu jitsu classes and not even share a word.

This went on until was one we happened to cross paths as he was leaving jiu jitsu right as I entered, and we both shared a moment of raw truth. Sharing that we both have had tough experiences with others throughout life and kind of let those assumptions spread into our experience on the mats. We both apologized, squashed our beef, and moved forward as friends, spending time together on and off the mats.

Everytime Keith and I talked, we would have the funniest conversations about the most random things. I remember there was one time, we sat in my car and argued over which fast food chain was better: Wendy’s or Burger King. The guy was so stubborn that we argued until I got so hungry that I said screw it let’s get Burger King.

He was genuinely a good dude, trying to do his best to make it through. My condolences go out to his family and close friends. I will never forget my friend, Keith.

Thank you for sending this beautiful tribute site. Our hearts are with you.

A screenshot from the end of his senior project video.

Dear Mark, Suzanne and Lydia,

It is with such a heavy heart that I extend our deepest sympathy to you all during this deeply difficult time.

I am grateful that we were able to know Keith and have the privilege of seeing him grow -up over the years. He was forever full of character, intelligent insights, inquisitive, and so smart!

The very first time we met, he was 5 years old, and I drove him along with us on a school field trip. He asked me all sorts of questions about my car's fuel efficiency and in the end concluded that it (mostly) met acceptable standards (I thought phew!) Though, it was concluded I should really consider an electric vehicle. He was right! And at 5 years old he spoke his mind he certainly told it like it was!

How we enjoyed and looked forward to seeing him on visits to our house as a handsome and intelligent, young adult! A good and supportive friend to Tom during pandemic days. He was always a gentleman, happy to have a chat in the kitchen or on the patio about his fishing, his travels (the bats in Texas!!), his schooling, internships and work. We were so proud of him!

The world has a lost a truly good one. An authentic and a genuine soul..

Keith, you will forever have a place in our hearts and our memories and may you rest in peace dear boy.

Dear Suzanne, Mark, and Lydia
I hope this message finds you well. On behalf of me and my family we are devastated about the news for keith and for you all. There are not many people I can say I’ve known and have been close friends with for essentially my whole life but you guys are definitely on that list and then some. Out of all the memories i value with you guys and keith, what I value most were the simplistic and wholesome memories that were centered around the authenticity of our friendship such as a simple afternoons fishing, watching that old robin hood film and the batman animated series in your basement, and calling you bright and early on christmas morning when we were in lower school to find out what lightsabers we got for christmas. (ps. I remember one Christmas morning where lydia picked up the phone, but Keith was asleep but she said she’d pass my message along for me haha.)
Below are some photos and memories to commemorate Keith from way back in the day in kindergarten when we all first met each other and when Keith and I became life long friends.
Although I can’t resonate with your level of pain and grief, I can try and will always be there for you and your family as it is rare to have had a friend that was so close and important to my family and I. Please hang in there, never be afraid to reach out and talk, and know that we will always love you guys.

Keith was a valued part our Synthesis Jiu Jitsu club, I considered him my friend in the two+ years I knew him. I remember him coming into the club without much grappling experience and a very beginners mentality; he would chose me as his partner in no-gi jiu jitsu and I was always happy to work with him. I left the U.S.A. for about 8 months and when I returned to Synthesis he was still training. Keith’s mentality had evolved and grown, he had lost a lot of the combat sport beginner mentality of frustration from not “winning” and was 1000% more enjoyable to train and converse with. I really wish he was still with us and it hurts my heart when I do think about what happened. May you rest in Peace Keith Bagdon.