Keith Roulston

Keith William Roulston of Blyth passed away at Huron Hospice on November 1, 2026. He was 79 years old.

Beloved husband of Jill Roulston (Twiner), Keith was the father of Christina Kipfer, Jennifer (Ian) Croft, Craig Roulston and Erin Pocock. He was grandfather to Noah, Hannah, Jonah, Emily (Robert), Phoebe (Wes), Ainsley, Bethany and Abby. Keith was predeceased by his parents Clifford and Mary (Maimie) Roulston of Lucknow. He is survived by his sister, Irene Haldenby, and brother, Kenneth Roulston.

Keith was an integral member of the community, accomplishing many feats in the effort to enrich life in the surrounding area. From 1970-1972, he was the editor of the Clinton News Record. In 1971, Keith and Jill bought the Blyth Standard newspaper from Doug and Lorna Whitmore and they operated both papers until Keith quit being editor of the News Record in June 1972.

While still working for the News Record, Keith was introduced to a series of people where the idea for the creation of a summer theatre using the Blyth Memorial Hall as a venue was born. The roof and electric wiring of the building were in poor shape; however, under Keith’s leadership, the Blyth Standard led a campaign to repair the building, including a ballot in the paper which, when returned, overwhelmingly supported repair.

In 1975, Keith, along with his friend, James Roy and his wife, Anne Chislett, initiated the first season of the Blyth Summer Festival. It was because of this very successful first season and the play Mostly in Clover by Harry J. Boyle that the precedent of performing only Canadian plays was set.

Keith continued to serve as publisher of The Blyth Standard, The Village Squire and The Rural Voice and in 1976 was named the first-ever winner of the Huron Federation of Agriculture Award for outstanding contribution to agriculture.

Over the years, Keith has served as the President of the Board of Directors for the Blyth Festival, general manager and he contributed to many seasons as a playwright with such plays as McGillicuddy’s Diary, The Shortest Distance Between Two Points, and His Own Boss. His love of theatre caused him to sell The Standard (1977); The Rural Voice (1978) and The Village Squire (1979) to A.Y. Maclean of the Huron Expositor in Seaforth.

In October 1985, Keith and Jill partnered with the late Sheila Richards, to sell shares in North Huron Publishing Company Limited which published a community-owned newspaper, The Citizen, serving the Brussels and Blyth communities. The Rural Voice was reacquired from Signal-Star Publishing in 1991 and became an important part of the company’s long-term success.

In April 2023, Keith was named to the Ontario Community Newspaper Association Hall of Fame.

A private family graveside service will take place.

There will be a showing of Keith’s interview with Lisa LaFlamme for the Huron Historical Society at the Blyth Memorial Hall on November 15 at 2pm. Please consider this an opportunity to remember him.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Blyth Festival or the Huron Hospice Bender House.

Please leave condolences and stories of Keith at www.riversidefuneralhome.com