Keith Alan Brakke of Apple Valley, MN passed away at the age of 70 on May 2, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.

He was the third child of five born to Kenneth Truman and Rose Ann Brakke (nee Johnson) on August 9, 1955, at the Nielsen Maternity Home in Hayfield, MN. The family later moved to Blooming Prairie, MN in March of 1962. Keith attended Blooming Prairie High School and graduated in 1973. He was very active in sports, lettering in football, track and field, and basketball, where he was frequently a top scorer. He helped lead the track and field team to a first-place finish in the 1973 Byron Invitational, which he was proud of, breaking a new record in the mile relay foursome. He also lettered in band where he played the trumpet and baritone horn.

He attended Golden Valley Luthern College where he again participated in his beloved sports. He graduated from Golden Valley in May 1975 with an Associate of Arts degree. From 1975 to 1976, Keith attended Concordia Teachers College in Seward, NE to further his education. He held various jobs after that working at Brown Printing Co. in Waseca and Green Giant Co., in Le Sueur, MN as a pea packer.

Keith joined the U.S. Army in September 1976 and was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA before being shipped overseas to Hanau, Germany. He was a Field Artillery Digital Automatic Computer (FADAC) repair technician. He also worked on repairing radars and other communications systems. He enjoyed his time while stationed in Germany, traveling to Norway, Greece, and various other countries when time allowed. He was honorably discharged in September 1980.

He then joined the United States Postal Service in May 1981 as a Letter Carrier. He was very involved with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) union. During his career, he participated in several NALC State and National Conventions across the country as a delegate. He also served as a Union Steward for a period of time. He retired in August 2018, with a combined total of 42 years of government service.

In 1994, he met the love of his life, Ann Leslie Reid, and they were married four years later on February 7, 1998, in Fountain, MN. They both loved to travel and camp. They had the opportunity to travel in their truck camper to a number of states south and west of Minnesota and to parts of Canada. They also had the opportunity to enjoy back-to-back trips to Europe where they visited Amsterdam, Paris, Florence, Rome, and many cities in Germany. Highlights included having lunch at the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Louvre and Notre Dame, attending Oktoberfest in Munich, visiting the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, going to Vatican City and seeing St. Peter’s Basilica, and riding on the Grand Canal in a gondola in Venice.

Keith loved his sports, whether he was playing or observing. He umpired softball for many years and was a member of the Amateur Softball Association of America, the MN Recreation & Park Association (MRPA), and the USSSA Slo-Pitch Softball League. He enjoyed this immensely and took great pride in the performance of his officiating.

Keith was a very kind, patient, and generous man who was loved by all. He enjoyed talking with everyone he met. His loves were camping, music, playing Texas Hold’em and cribbage with friends, photography, traveling, fishing and deer hunting, bowling, and just sitting around a campfire with family and friends. He also loved to read, retaining most everything he read, and loved listening to Sports Talk radio stations. He enjoyed reading the newspapers every day and doing the NY Times crossword puzzle, as well as Sudoku and Cryptoquip.

He will be dearly missed by all. He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Ann; siblings, Cynthia Wolslegel, Paul (Kathy) Brakke, Tom (Amanda) Brakke, Brian Brakke; former sisters-in-law, Sally Chapman and Holly Wenger; and maternal aunt, Ila Mae Akkerman. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins, and other beloved family and friends too numerous to name here.

Keith was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Rose Ann; stepfather, Clayton Walstrom; his maternal and paternal grandparents, beloved brother-in-law, James Wolslegel; and many of his aunts and uncles.  A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 13 at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 3930 Rahn Rd., Eagan, MN 55122. Visitation will be held at 10:00am, Memorial Service at 11:00am, followed by a luncheon. A military honor ceremony and burial services will be held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, 7601 34th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55440 at a future date.

The family requests donations be made to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the American Heart Association, the National Park Service, or a charity of your choice.