Keith Lawrence died peacefully in January 2026, at a time and place of his choosing, surrounded by friends and family.

Keith was born Milton Niederhoffer in 1943 in New York, NY, the son of David and Margaret Niederhoffer. He moved to San Francisco and then to Vancouver, where he played violin for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra from 1970-1986, including two tours to Japan. After leaving the VSO he played with string quartets, offered recitals around the community and taught violin privately. He developed a program called Music as a Second Language and offered classes on music appreciation and conscious listening, for the Vancouver School Board, SFU and elsewhere, all with the goal of helping people deepen their enjoyment of music. In his early sixties he went back to school and received his Bachelor of Music degree from UBC in 2006.

He loved tennis, hiking and the outdoors. He was a kind and gentle man, and a caring and thoughtful friend and father.

He leaves behind his son Michael (wife Marilyne), and step-daughter Sara (husband William).

A Celebration of Life took place on Thursday, February 12th at the PAL Studio Theatre with friends and family from around the world also joining over zoom.

Donations gratefully accepted for these organisations that he supported:

• Doctors Without Borders
• Seva Canada
• Innocence Project
• Human Kindness Foundation
• PAL Vancouver
• UBC School of Music