Kieth J. Van Dyke

Kieth Joseph Van Dyke passed away peacefully, holding his wife Cindy's hand, on December 30, 2025, from complications from Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy.
He was born on October 7, 1946, to Joseph and Beverly Van Dyke, and lived an idyllic childhood growing up on the shore in Marinette, Wisconsin. Childhood days were spent swimming, sailing, ice boating, building forts in the woods and a wooden boat in the basement with his father, lifeguarding at Red Arrow Park where he rescued a drowning swimmer, and family trips to Morgan Lake. As a young man he traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Bali, Java, Malaysia, Sumatra, and beyond, maintaining lifelong friendships with his traveling companions. Upon his return, he met his wife Cindy (Cid) the summer of 1976 at the Griffin Inn in Ellison Bay, and they married in December. They recently celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary, and their love for each other was profound.
Kieth graduated from UW-Green Bay and completed his master's degree in Management Information Systems at UW-Milwaukee. He was highly creative and always saw potential where others could not. He was proud of his work to renovate the Edgewater Resort in Ephraim and the historic Hochgreve Brewing Company/Reimer Building on Riverside Drive in Allouez. He was a past board member of the Door County Land Trust, and instrumental in the acquisition and development of the Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve. Kieth was a respected educator and taught at Lakeland College and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. He mentored people awaiting heart transplant, and honored his heart transplant donor with 20+ years of disciplined attention to his health, in gratitude for the gift he had received. Kieth lived his life bravely, with resilience and humor.
Kieth found joy in so many things in this life: animals, especially dogs and chipmunks; spending time with his family and friends; long, aimless drives with his wife on country roads in northern Door County, Newport State Park and Peninsula State Park; travel, including a trip with his wife to revisit New Zealand and Australia; gazing at the star constellation Pleiades and the lights of Marinette, viewed over the bay from his Egg Harbor home; and St. Michael the Archangel, whom he associated with his older brother Michael, who has passed away before Kieth was born.
Kieth was an accomplished golfer, and he loved sailing and sailboat racing. Along with his brothers Steve, Neil and their crew on their boat "Conspiracy", they took first place in many races, including first place in their division in the 1983 Chicago-Mackinac Race and "Boat of the Year" awards through the Green Bay Yachting Club. Kieth was a founding member of Green Bay Country Club, assisting with finding the ideal location, arranging financing, and growing a list of prospective members.
Kieth is survived by his wife Cindy, brother Neil (Lee Prange) and sisters Lynne Lozanski, Mary Joan (Dan) O'Leary, and Lisa Mueller, sister-in-law Ellen Ney Van Dyke, brothers-in-law Mike (Sue) Blaha and Steve (Becky) Blaha. He is also survived by many beloved nieces and nephews, and many close friends. Family and friends were a constant source of love, encouragement, and unwavering support.
Kieth was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Beverly Van Dyke, his brothers Michael and Steven, brother-in-law John Lozanski, special aunt Joannie Kerwin, father-in-law William Blaha and mother-in-law Lori Blaha, his heart donor, and his cherished pets Brandy, Summerpine, Lani, and Honeypig.
Kieth's life was greatly impacted by the outstanding medical care he received for decades. He was fortunate to receive cardiology care from Dr. Matthias Fuchs at Bellin Cardiology; his expertise paved the way for Kieth's successful heart transplant at UW Health in 2005. Deepest thanks to Dr. Maryl Johnson, Dr. Takushi Kohmoto, Dr. David Kaufman and Nicole Motkowski, APNP, Dr. Kevin Weinkers, and Kieth's heart transplant coordinators. Kieth was also grateful to receive excellent and compassionate primary care from Dr. Joseph Rebhan at Door County Medical Center – Sister Bay Clinic. Lastly, our deepest gratitude to the staff at Unity Hospice for their kind and supportive care.
Family and friends may call to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1305 Lourdes Ave., De Pere, on Friday, January 16, 2026. Visitation will begin at 9:00AM and continue until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00AM with Fr. James Baraniak O.Praem. officiating.
In lieu of flowers, the Van Dyke Family kindly ask for donations to be made in memory of Kieth to the Door County Land Trust, P.O. Box 65, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 or Guiding Eyes for the Blind, 611 Granite Springs Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598.