November 11, 2026
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Keith William Roulston of Blyth died at Huron Residential Hospice, Nov. 1, 2026, at the age of 79.
Beloved husband of Jill Roulston (Twiner); father of Christina Kipfer, Jennifer (Ian) Croft, Craig Roulston and Erin Pocock; and grandfather of Noah, Hannah, Jonah, Emily (Robert), Phoebe (Wes), Ainsley, Bethany and Abby.
Also survived by his sister, Irene Haldenby; and brother, Kenneth Roulston.
Predeceased by his parents, Clifford and Mary (Maimie) Roulston of Lucknow.
Keith was raised on a farm near Lucknow where his parents tried to establish a farming operation after Cliff returned from active service during the Second World War in the Royal Canadian Artillery in Italy and Holland. After several years farming, financial difficulties caused Cliff to finally take a factory job.
Keith and his brother, Ken, later moved to Lucknow with their parents when Irene and her husband, Bill, took over the farm.
From Lucknow, Keith moved to Toronto for university and, after he and Jill married, they lived in Lucknow, Clinton and Blyth, before finally settling at the farm house on Moncrieff Road, where they spent the last 51 years raising their family and tending a small hobby farm.
In the mid-1960s, Keith studied journalism at what was then Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto. Not only was that where he would meet his wife, but it was there that he would galvanize his career path as a life-long newspaper man.
At Ryerson, he worked on the school’s daily newspaper, first as the assistant sports editor, then the sports editor and finally as the editor of the editorial page, a prestigious role within any newspaper.
When Keith returned to the Lucknow area with Jill, after graduating in 1969, the pair endeavoured to create a regional sports newspaper. That project eventually didn’t pan out, so Keith built on the foundation he’d laid during summer work for "The Huron Expositor" in Seaforth, taking a job as the editor of "The Clinton News Record."
In November of 1971, the Roulstons purchased "The Blyth Standard" from the Whitmore family, jumping at the chance to become their own bosses. During that time, the Roulstons also founded "The Rural Voice" magazine, which just marked its 50th anniversary last year, and "The Village Squire," which published issues for just under a decade in the 1970s and early 1980s.
While still working for the "News Record," Keith was introduced to a series of people, and that's where the idea of creating 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 friends, James Roy and 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, as well as 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 re-acquired 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 Newspapers 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, Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. Please consider this an opportunity to remember him.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Blyth Festival or the Huron Hospice Bender House, would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
Condolences and stories about Keith may be submitted at www.riversidefuneralhome.ca.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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