KEITH RUSSELL IRVINE

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KEITH RUSSELL IRVINE
1945 - 2020

It is with sad hearts we announce the passing of Keith Irvine on October 29 after a short but courageous battle with cancer.
Keith was predeceased by his father Jim, mother Doris and sister Teresa. Left to mourn his loss are his aunt Jean Winram in St. Catharines, Ontario, several cousins, many dear friends in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Sandy Lake, and his beloved dog and companion Checker.
Keith was born in London, England on April 20, 1945 to Doris and Jim Irvine. When Keith was just an infant the family moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
As a child Keith was very active and excelled in a variety of sports especially football. He graduated from Grant Park High in 1963 and began a career in the steel industry. This eventually took him to Edmonton where he worked in many different capacities. He was employed by Price Steel Ltd. as a regional sales representative when he retired and moved to Sandy Lake, Manitoba.
While in Edmonton Keith fell in love with the mountains. He spent weekends and vacations hiking, camping and photographing and video-taping the beauty of nature. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed swimming, fishing, boating and playing his guitar around the camp fire.
As an avid and talented golfer he enjoyed the challenges of many different courses in Alberta and Manitoba and was a member of the Minnedosa Golf Club.
He loved technology and took computer courses where he learned to build his own computers from scratch. He spent hours on his computer and enjoyed his many contacts on social media. He even started a little company called "On-Site Computers & Repairs" offering his expertise to people in the community.
Science and astronomy were also intriguing to Keith and he spent time exploring outer space through his sophisticated telescopic equipment.
Keith was very artistic and created some lovely pieces of art in different mediums (oil, acrylic, wood burning, etc.). He also had a little woodworking shop in his garage where he created a variety of wooden projects.
Keith's greatest love was for his precious dogs: Shadow who accompanied Keith on many hikes in the mountains but sadly passed away a few years ago, and his beloved border collie, Checker. Keith was an amazing dog trainer spending hours teaching both dogs to perform a variety of tasks and tricks. He truly loved his dogs and they loved him.
Those of us who were close to Keith knew him as extremely intelligent and a true gentleman. He wasn't shy about standing his ground when he saw or experienced injustice, but would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Known as "Keitch" to his buddies, he loved shooting the breeze with them over a few beers and treasured the many friendships he made.
Thank you to the amazing nursing staff at the Minnedosa Hospital who took such good care of Keith, and Mary Nichols the Coordinator of Senior Services in Sandy Lake for her guidance and support.
And finally, a heartfelt thank you to Jon and Wanda Wark-Kopytko for adopting Keith's precious dog Checker. Keith treasured the many times you brought his dog back to spend the day or weekends with him. He can rest knowing his trusted companion is being well cared for and dearly loved.
May you rest in peace dear friend. Your memory is a blessing to those of us who knew you and loved you.
We are not able to have a celebration of Keith's life at this time.

Ronald Moffit Memorial Services
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 07, 2020