Keith Reali

Keith Richard Reali passed away peacefully on February 20 at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, MN with family by his side following a brief hospital stay.

The youngest of five children, Keith was born on November 7, 1951 in Eau Claire, WI, to Dominic and Evelyn A. (Wilson) Reali, He grew up on the shores of Lake Wissota and attended school in Chippewa Falls, graduating from McDonell High School, class of 1969. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1971 and was stationed at both Edwards Air Force Base in California and the Azores Islands. He took great pleasure in his role as a broadcaster for the Armed Forces Radio.

Soon after his military service ended, he returned to the Chippewa Valley, where locals knew him as disc jockey "Keith Richards" on their radio dials. He was also a founding member of the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild and acted in its premier musical, "The Mikado," as well as other CVTG plays and musicals. Keith's entrepreneurial spirit also led him to partner with his brother Don to purchase and manage a bar named the Tender Trap in downtown Eau Claire.

Keith moved to Oklahoma at his sister's urging to attend college. There he earned his bachelor's degree in accounting at the University of Central Oklahoma in 1984. Keith embraced a diverse range of roles throughout his career. He began as an accountant/controller in the service, retail, and manufacturing industries, hitting his stride at the Dana Corporation in Milwaukee, WI. From there, he moved on to similar executive roles in Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania. He easily transitioned into ERP systems consulting, finding great success working with Epicor and personal gratification in this calling. This kept him traveling both nationally and internationally for many years. Keith retired at the age of 65, but his mind never did as he still made himself available for those who sought his advice.

Keith was formerly married to Rita E. Reali (Freeman) and Laura L. Reali (Seymour). In 1998, he married his beloved wife, Sharon Elaine (Stewart), and together they created 26 years filled with wonderful memories. In his downtime Keith also enjoyed playing tennis, golf, and softball, and cheering on the Packers, Bucks, and Brewers. His love of Italian heritage and Mediterranean cooking also kept him busy in the kitchen. He was always on the lookout for a good recipe. When he had the chance, you could also find him testing his luck at the casino tables on occasion.

He was a devoted, affectionate and proud father to sons Dominic S. (Megan O'Brien) Reali of Woodbury, MN and Peter J. Reali of Eau Claire, WI (children of Laura Reali); and further survived by son Jeremy M. (Dawn) Reali of Pahrump NV (child of Rita Reali) and lovely daughter Shannon E. (Justin) Lindberg of Eau Claire, WI (child of Kerry Reardon Stanton).

Keith was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Roger and Don; sister, Judie; and brother-in-law, Willard Aronson. He is further survived by his sister, Cynthia (Calvin) Crotty; sisters-in-law, Patsi Reali and Marion Reali; his four grandchildren, Noelle Reali, Brody Reali, Stella Lindberg and Piper Lindberg; along with several cherished nieces and nephews.

A private memorial will be planned for a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the family are appreciated to help support the surviving spouse with funeral and breast cancer expenses.