Keith J. Burnett, age 95, passed away in the comfort of his home surrounded by loved ones on February 3rd, 2026, just shy of his 72nd wedding anniversary. He was survived by his wife, Jeannette, two daughters Debra (Neil) Matczynski, Kelly (Rex) Carney; five grandchildren Tara (Jason) Mettler, Dave (Tracy) Kurtzbach, Brandon (Michelle) Kurtzbach, Ashley Kurztbach, Brittany (Brandon) Becker and two great grandchildren Mackenzie and Keegan.
Keith was born on April 17, 1930, and raised in the city of Iron River, MI. He was always an outgoing person. At age 9, he started selling the Saturday Evening Post on the street corners and by age 11 he was managing two other workers! In high school he earned his letterman sweater in track and was involved in the artwork and printing of his senior high school yearbook for 1948. At 16, he met the love of his life, Jeannette, at school. As he would tell you, she had the most beautiful brown eyes. They married on February 20th, 1954. They settled in Manitowoc, WI, as he accepted a franchise to own and operate Lindsay Soft Water. He sold the business in 1974 and later became an independent insurance agent for AFLAC and other companies. Helping people was just his way and he often would go the extra mile for his clients. He maintained his insurance license with continuing education until he was 90 years old!
Keith was always spiritually minded. In 1969 he dedicated his life to Jehovah God and got baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He felt it was a privilege to serve as an elder in the local congregation for over 50 years. What brought him great joy was to teach other people about the Bible. He spent much time not only in the formal ministry but took every opportunity that he could in his day-to-day life to tell others about God’s Kingdom and what that means for all of us. He was a great mentor for many and was such an effective minister because of his heart being so full of love for people. He was a man of integrity and truly lived by the words he spoke.
Keith loved life and was full of personality. He had a cheery and positive disposition. He could be heard singing, whistling and humming around the house. He was the best father, grandfather and great grandfather that anyone could ever hope for. He was so adored by his family as he was patient, gentle, kind and loveable! He was quite a storyteller, whether he was relating personal experiences or stories of his childhood. His words of wisdom were priceless. He enjoyed tea and toast, made hats and other things out of paper for kid’s play, recited poetry and taught little songs to children. He delighted all by his ‘flipping of his hat’ trick. Keith had a heart large enough to be considered a dad and grandpa by so many others who viewed him that way. He had a full and happy life.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Mary (Rae) Burnett, brother James, who he always spoke of with fondness, and son-in-law, Bruce Kurtzbach, who he viewed as his own son.
Funeral services will be held jointly with his wife, Jeannette, on Saturday, March 28th, 2026, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses: 4915 Hecker Road, Manitowoc. Visitation starts at 1:30 with the funeral starting at 3:00 pm CST. Zoom will also be available for those unable to attend in person. ID: 620 594 706 PW: 180500
Harrigan Parkside Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
To leave a message of sympathy for the family, please visit Keith’s obituary page at www.harriganparksidefuneralhome.com.
