Keith Brandt was born Dec. 14, 1959, to Lester and Verna (Horst) Brandt. He was the fourth of five sons in the family and passed away from a six-year battle with prostate cancer Feb. 18, 2025.
As a young boy, Keith attended Friend Public School and graduated with the class of 1978. After graduating from high school, he was united in marriage to Lori Crawford on June 23, 1979, and to this union, three children were born: Nate, Dalton and Morgan. He worked on the farm with his father-in-law and then settled at Horizontal Boring & Tunneling Co. until retiring one month ago due to health reasons. Keith was blessed with a second marriage to Miriam Mazurak on June 19, 2021.
Keith loved the outdoors, often hunting and fishing with his children and looked forward to every November to hunt deer with his brothers, nephews and kids. He enjoyed porch beers, loud music, spending time at the lake, grilling, gardening and camping. Keith was the hardest worker and was often seen showing some of the younger new guys how to crawl through holes. Keith cherished sharing experiences and outdoor adventures with his family and grandchildren for many years - his grandkids were his life.
He is survived by his wife, Miriam Brandt; sons, Nate (Kaci) Brandt, and Dalton (Tonya) Brandt; daughter, Morgan Brandt; step-son, Benny Pecher; step-daughter, Shayleen (Josh) Harrington; grandkids, Brenson, Bowen, Norah, Milo, Bristol, and Wyatt; step-grandchildren, Karter, Karmelo, Calianna, Ellielynn, Benjamin and Braxton; mother and father-in-law, Joel and Janet Pospisil; brothers, Richard (Janet) Brandt, Roger (Dianne) Brandt, Kenneth (Dee) Brandt, and Norman (Cindy) Brandt; brothers-in-law, Dean (Judy) Crawford, John (Bonnie) Pospisil, and Alan (Sherri) Pospisil; special family friends, Paul and Becky Erdkamp and kids, Janey and Elliott, as well as Liz, Tony, and Sandy; sisters-in-law, Erika (Joe) Roy, Irene (Harold) Parker, Sonja Graham, Liz (Augie) Berhal, Gerdi (Rick) Mowery, Marion (Barr); and a host of other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lori Brandt; parents Lester and Verna Brandt; brother-in-law, Mark Crawford; infant nephew, Mark Rodney Crawford; grandparents, William and Maggie Brandt and John and Marie Horst; and many aunts and uncles.
Visitation at the Lauber Friend Funeral Home in Friend starts Tuesday, Feb. 25, from 1 – 8 p.m. with family greeting and receiving relatives and friends from 5 – 7 p.m., and one hour prior to services at the Friend Congregational Church. The funeral service will be Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 10:30 am. at the Friend Congregational Church. Graveside Services will follow at the Exeter Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested to the family for a future designation.
Arrangements by Lauber Funeral Cremation Services.
