George J. "Jeff" Keith

With great sadness we announce the passing of George Jeffrey (Jeff) Keith on Friday, September 26, 2025, after a brief decline. He died peacefully in the arms of his loving wife, Darlene (Negri). Jeff was born on August 30, 1941, in Burlington, VT, to his mother, Beatrice (Perrett) Keith and his father, George Stillman Keith. Jeff was raised in Manchester, CT, with his younger sister, Deborah, graduated from Cushing Academy (secondary school) in 1959 and subsequently from Norwich University in 1963 as a Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Jeff deployed to the American military base in Schweinfurt, Germany in 1963 where he remained until 1966. While in Germany, Jeff picked up a sporty Triumph sportscar and a German girlfriend, Uta, whom he married in 1965. They raised two children together (Sandra and Mark) after moving back to Manchester in 1966. Jeff was an active and enthusiastic member of the Manchester Jaycees, the British American Club and later the Manchester Elks, where he loved to play cards for hours with his friends. He was a regular in the Manchester softball league, grew and sold Christmas trees each year from a family-owned lot in the center of Manchester, coached hockey, and loved spending time with his two children. Socially, Jeff was always the life of the party and loved to stir up conversations and people. He loved to joke around, he was a shameless flirt and wasn't happy if anyone left the party early. There remain rumors of epic basement parties in their house on Overlook Drive and at "Keith Kabin", a beach cottage the extended Keith family had for years at White Sands Beach on the CT shore. Jeff was an avid hunter, boater, fisherman, lobsterman and may still have a picture on the CT Game Warden's Wall of "Persons of Interest" for sometimes keeping lobsters just a hair short of legal length. Jeff worked briefly for Sunoco Oil before entering the "Keith Real Estate" business with his father, Stillman, in the late 1960's. Jeff continued to be an active realtor in Manchester through this year and was owner/operator of Keith Real Estate for over 55 years. After his divorce, Jeff remarried to Darlene Negri in 1990, and they built a lovely new home together on his christmas tree lot in the center of town. Jeff and Darlene continued to have an active social life. They loved to travel to the Caribbean, take cruises, travel internationally to see children and grandchildren, go on trips to Maine with the "Turtles", win money at the casinos in eastern CT, attend concerts, and play cards together at the Manchester Elks each week, which became a favorite part of their routine. Jeff doted on his six grandchildren and never missed a game that was close enough for him to attend. He remains beloved by all of his grandchildren who adored his antics and thought he was "One Funny Dude" (as his eldest grandchild, Nick, once commented). Jeff is survived by his wife, Darlene (Negri) Keith, his daughter Sandra Brazo (Shawn), his son Mark Keith (Cynthia) and by grandchildren Nicholas Keith (Nicole), Tanya beck (Bryan), Lindsay Jones (Dallas), Zachary Brazo (Katherine), Maxwell Brazo, Alexandra Brazo, by 5 great grandchildren and by his sister, Deborah Samson and her three children, Kimberly, Bradley and Amanda. He was predeceased by his father, George Stillman Keith, and by his mother Beatrice (Perrett) Keith. Jeff will be remembered bv all for his energy, his enthusiasm, his mischievous spirit, and his love of family. He will be deeply missed by all. Jeff's family wishes to extend its gratitude to Dr. Daniel Gerardi and to his entire staff at St. Francis Hospital (Hartford), especially to Paula Bernardio and to Nurse Maggie of the ICU for their compassionate and supportive care. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, October 3rd, 2025, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Manchester Country Club. Final calling hours will be on Saturday, October 4th from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. with a memorial service immediately following at the John F. Tierney Funeral Home located at 219 W. Center Street, Manchester, CT. Burial will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that you consider making a donation to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org), which was Jeff's preferred charity.