Jan Sherman Keith

Jan S. Keith of Marshfield, passed away on March 21, 2024 at the age of 74. He was the beloved husband of Charlotte (Krupp) Keith; devoted father of Jeffrey Keith and his wife Kristen of Foxboro and Jennifer Keith of Hanover; cherished grandfather of Christopher and Benjamin Keith; loving step-father of Janet Lerch of North Attleboro and Beth Royle of Mansfield; dear brother of Cheryl Kelly and her husband John of Foxboro, Don Keith and his wife Amy of Ohio, Sarah Witts and her husband Thomas, and the late Carla, Paul, Joyce and Ellen.
Jan was raised in the part of Westwood, MA known as Islington or as locals call it, Slingtown. Son of the late Lloyd and Louise (Kraus) Keith, he was one of seven children and was raised in a loving home. Jan liked to tell stories about spending summers at the family's cottage in Wareham where Jan and his siblings spent most of their time out in their dory catching fish and playing "chicken" with the larger boats in the canal. Jan was an experienced sailor by age seven. The family was at their cottage when hurricane Carol hit the Cape in the early 1950's. The neighborhood was flooded including the small grocery store. Jan recalled how he and his sister Joyce crawled on top of the flooded store's shelves in order to help authorities get food for the local shelter.
Jan's father Lloyd was a contractor who passed his love of the trades on to his children. Jan and his siblings would arm themselves with hammers and crowbars and proceed to help gut old houses. They said they were playing war, their father would say they were helping him to remodel. Lloyd taught Jan how to visualize various ways of solving, fixing and creating things. Jan would always say that you need to build it in your mind before you pick up a tool. Lloyd also taught him all about carpentry. This led to Jan's love of carpentry, something he focused on throughout his life. Jan liked to refer to himself as a finish, scrap wood carpenter. We always said he could take a pile of scrap wood and build a gorgeous mansion complete with three coats of urethane.
Jan's mother Louise was a free spirit who loved adventure. She realized the potential of each child and encouraged them to follow their own path in life. Jan's greatest memory of his mother was of their cross-country road trip. Jan remembered packing up their old station wagon with two large tents, several coolers and the four youngest children. They took off with a stack of road maps and the goal of getting to California. Louise instilled in Jan the desire to see what is around the next bend in the road something that Jan loved to do. The road trip gave Jan an education that would last him a lifetime.
Jan's father gave him a plot of land in Foxboro on a wooded lot near a small pond where Jan pitched a tent and had a pile of lumber delivered. From there he built his own house and raised his two children, Jeffrey born in 1974 and Jennifer born in 1976. He enjoyed hanging out with Jeffrey and Jennfer watching the baby snapping turtles hatch, building tree forts, eating home grown strawberries, swimming in the pool and watching Jeffrey ride dirt bikes. It was in this house that he taught Jeff and Jenny the lessons and values he had learned growing up.
After Jan moved from Foxboro he met his second wife Charlotte. Jan always said that the kids made them get married. Jan and Charlotte were together for a total of 35 years. Jan's biggest regret was that they didn't meet sooner, there just wasn't enough time together. They settled into the little bungalow that Charlotte's father built in Marshfield. Once more Jan had a pile of lumber delivered and this time with his son Jeff's help, they built an addition that turned the cottage into their forever home. He enjoyed spending his time working on various projects and of course fixing up the house. His love of working with wood shows throughout their home. Jan loved having family over for barbeques in the back yard along with time at the beach. He especially enjoyed movie days with his grandchildren Chris and Ben. He was always at his happiest when family time was involved.
Jan started working at a young age helping his dad on construction jobs. After high school he worked for his older brother Paul installing and finishing hardwood floors. After his brother's sudden passing Jan continued doing floors and started working full time for the State. He became an Institutional Maintenance Foreman and retired from the State after 25 years. During that time, he formed a lifelong bond with his co-worker and dear friend Bob Vaughn.
Jan and Charlotte had a Florida get-away that Jan was able to escape to for many winters. He enjoyed the warm sun and heated pools and he discovered so many of the places that Hollywood, FL had to offer but most important he got to know some truly wonderful people, his neighbors Arthur and Mider. Jan and Arthur became close friends because of their common interest in woodworking and remodeling. Each had great respect for the other. One more important person in Jan and Charlotte's life is Colleen. Her kindness and friendship made Florida's sunshine even brighter.
Services for Jan will be at the MacDonald Funeral Home, 1755 Ocean Street in Marshfield. Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The Funeral Service will be held at the funeral home on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 10:00 a.m., followed by burial in the Knollwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Canton.
The most important thing in Jan's life was his family. Spending time with his family brought him comfort, contentment and most of all love. Because of this, Jan's family asks that in lieu of flowers, each of you take time out of your busy life to be with your family by taking them out for a lobster dinner in his memory.
For online guest book, driving directions and other helpful information please visit the website macdonaldfuneralhome.com