Jack Keith Obituary (1936 - 2018)

Washburn: Courtney Charles "Jack" Keith, Jr., 82, of Washburn passed away Monday, November 19, 2018 at 8:29 pm at the home of his daughter (Karen Jay) also of Washburn. Cremation rites have been accorded. Visitation will be held Saturday, December 1, 2018 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Calvert & Johnson Memorial Home in Washburn. Memorial services with Masonic Rites will follow at 1:00 pm with the Rev. Will Meachum officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alpha-1 Foundation or the Shriners Hospital for Children. Jack was born June 3, 1936 in Litchfield, KY to Courtney Charles and Lorene M. (Seifert) Keith, Sr. He married Nina Lucille McKittrick on July 7, 1957 at the Washburn United Methodist Church. She preceded him in death on April 17, 2018. Surviving are his children: Larry A. (Patricia) Keith of Washburn, Steven C. Keith of Cincinnati, Karen E. (Mark) Jay of Washburn and James M. (Melanie) Keith of Elburn., his grandchildren: David Burtsfield, Nick and Brett Keith, Tosha Billington, Monica, Andy and John Jay, Dylan and Madison Keith, his great-grandchildren: Emily, Haley, Riley, Chloe, Braxton, Brandon, Jacob and Isabelle and his great-great-grandchildren: Ryan, Brantley and Carter. Also surviving are siblings Daryle (Bonnie) Keith of Nokomis, FL, Mary Jane (Wallace) Sharp and Sharon (Bub) Lynch both of Camdenton, MO, James (Clara) Keith of Chillicothe and Ronnie (Dina) Keith of Port Richie, FL. He was also preceded in death by his parents, daughter Cheryl A. Burtsfield, son Jerry L. Keith, granddaughter Jessica L. Burtsfield, sister Wanda Nixon and brothers Duane and Marvin Keith. Jack was a proud lifetime member of the Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite and a Shriner. He advocated for the Shriners Hospital for Children and was very active up until recent years. He also was a volunteer for the Washburn Fire Department for several decades and attended as recently this past year's annual fish fry with his grandson, Andy Jay. In addition, Jack was a member of the United Methodist Church. Jack began his career farming in the Washburn area along with driving grain trucks and semis for Dale Schumacher and Paul Damerell. In addition, he also tended bar at Quiram's Tavern on many a weekends after trucking and farming throughout the week. In 1968, he started working for Winkler Construction until he retired in 1995. He became a Master Carpenter and belonged to Laborers Local 996 where he recently just received his 50 year pen. After retiring from construction and carpentry, he continued to farm during the spring and fall for Loren Warnkes until this past year. Anyone who knew Jack, knew that he did not need an alarm clock when it came to work. It did not matter the day or time, if there was work to be done; Jack was there until it was finished. Being a carpenter, Jack and his wife Nina were very proud to have built their own home in Washburn in the early 1970's. Jack's biggest enjoyments were seeing and spending time with his grandchildren, his passion for farming, traveling all 50 states, and making memories with his wife Nina. After he and Nina retired and they completed their vast travels throughout the U.S., they settled on being "Snowbirds" in Bradenton, Florida for over the past decade.