Keith William Zander

Keith's Memorial Service will be livestreamed here: https://vimeo.com/event/3673908

His tribute video can be viewed here: https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/7L4CKZ8YHZ7W8L23

Keith William Zander was born July 22, 1962, in Rochester, MN, to parents Carl Sr. and Marian (Menzel) Zander.

Keith passed unexpectedly in his home on August 25, 2023. Keith grew up in Rochester. His childhood was filled with adventure, fishing, hunting, family road trips, dirt, bugs, rockets and your typical shenanigans. He graduated from Mayo High School in 1981.

Keith enlisted in the United States Army in July of 1981. He was a paratrooper and top of his class in marksmanship. His honorable discharge from the Army was in July of 1983.

Following his time in the service he attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He then obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the Tri-College system in Fargo-Moorhead. Keith (along with three beautiful sons) married Lara Jensen on September 11, 1998. They made their home in Fargo, ND. They were blessed with two children in their marriage: a son, Jackson, and a daughter, Piper.

Keith worked as a psychiatric RN at Prairie St. John’s until the time he went to work at the Fargo VA Medical Center in 1999. Keith was dedicated to his work. At the time of his passing, he had been the Administrative Officer for Mental Health for many years. He was proud of his ability to work with and for veterans. Keith had many co-workers over the years who became dear friends.

Keith loved simple summer trips with his family, hunting for agates, playing cards, and making memories. He loved his wife and children deeply and was so proud of all of them. He and Lara enjoyed a love of football, the outdoors, quiet time together, watching movies, and spending time with their children. Keith was most comfortable in nature. He loved to fish and hunt and was an avid gardener. The garden in his yard grew bigger every year, and he so enjoyed sharing all of the fruits of his labor with family and friends. His flower beds are also a sight to behold. He could do a fish fry like no other and often made so much he would be out hand delivering hot plates of fish to all of the neighbors. Keith was a kind and gentle soul. His absence is felt deeply.

Keith is survived by his wife, Lara Zander; sons, Christian Zander, Elliot (Frances) Zander, Morgan (Katie) Zander, Jackson Zander; and daughter, Piper Zander. He is also survived by his parents, Carl Sr. and Marian Zander; brothers, Carl Zander Jr. and Clark (Beth) Zander; sister, Ann (Roger) Eggebrecht; sister-in-law, Shelly (Gabriel) Swann; mother and father-in-law, Ken and Cookie Jensen; along with his nephews, Hans, Noah, Samuel, Isaiah; and niece, Rachael.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Joseph & Helen Menzel and Anne & Charles Zander. A celebration of Keith’s life will be held on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Fargo.