Keith L. Crew

Keith L. Crew died on December 26, 2019 in Yankton, South Dakota due to a battle with prostate cancer at the age of 91.
Keith was born on August 29, 1928 to Leslie and Jessie (Buerck) Crew in their home that was located near the Badland wall about 8 miles northeast of Interior SD.
Keith rode his horse to Grade school both 2 miles north of their house and 8 miles to Interior. He graduated from Kadoka High School in 1946. Keith attended South Dakota State University in Brookings, and joined the Army ROTC. His 109th Engineers of the National Guard unit out of Rapid City was called to active duty to Fort Bragg, NC during the Korean War. He was the only member of the unit that knew how to drive the large dozer to move dirt and was one of his Company’s best marksman. Keith was honorably discharged on October 15, 1951 as a US Army Master Sergeant. On his return to South Dakota he completed his college education and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 1955 from SDSU.
In 1956 Keith married Dorothy Regas in Grand Junction, Colorado. They purchased the ranch adjoining his parents’ ranch from his uncle James & Aunt Ada (Buerck) Bateman.
Keith raised a purebred herd of Scotch Highland cattle and was President of the National Scotch Highlander Association in 1969.
Keith and Dorothy restored the Prairie Homestead original sod dug out home in 1962. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Keith was awarded the Individual Historical Preservation award by the State Historical Society in 2017 for his work at the Prairie Homestead.
Keith & Dorothy also built Prairie Fuels gas station at Cactus Flat, SD in 1970.
Keith was a Jackson County Commissioner in 1974 when the new courthouse was built and Jackson and Washabaugh County combined. He also served on the Jackson County Selective Service board from 1972-1996.
In 1982, Keith developed a computer program on one of the first Apple computers to balance cattle rations.
Keith was an eccentric character and was always busy with some sort of new invention he had created. Everyone who knew him had a story about him.
Gone before him are his son Shane, wife Dorothy, brother Merle, close friend Joyce Whitcomb, and great grandsons Baby Boy Crew and Flint River Crew.
Keith is survived by his son Grady and his wife Bernice Crew of Cactus Flat, SD; his daughter Casey and her husband Gary Blom of Yankton, SD; grandchildren, Josh (Christin) Blom, Cole (Sara) Blom, Caleb (Megan) Crew, and Jamie (Tony) Farmen; great grandchildren, Brady, Chloe, Elly, Emelia, Harlan, Brita & Eva; and close friends Ellen Speck and Karen Whitcomb.
A visitation was held one hour prior to the funeral service at the church.
Funeral services were held 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 31, at Concordia Lutheran Church in Kadoka with Doug Heck officiating.
Interment with military honors followed at the Kadoka Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the Concordia Lutheran Church in Kadoka.
Arrangements were with Rush Funeral Home of Kadoka.