With sad hearts we announce the passing of our husband, father, grandfather, uncle & brother. Dave passed away late in the evening on Sept 29 at the Victoria General Hospital with family at his side. He is lovingly & forever remembered by his wife of 62 years, Gerda (nee Steffensen); their children Karen Keep (Paul Brown), Neil Keep, Dawn Keep; grandchildren David Loewen, Heather Loewen (Keith Horner), Nelson Keep, Marshal Keep, Connor Brown; sisters Jacqueline Burnett, Kathy Moulden, Frances Gapp (AB) and many nieces & nephews. He was predeceased by sister Mildred Alexander & brother Walter Keep (Valerie).

Dave LOVED his family. His overarching concern in life was to provide for his family - shelter, food, clothing & lots of love. That he did.

Dave LOVED to work. He loved to get out the tools & build stuff, whether it was a condo for his beloved birds or a project that needed doing to help his children. His most cherished work was the 2nd house that he & Gerda built together. Together with Gerda, they built 2 houses from the ground up and renovated over 20 more. They were pioneers - 30 years ahead of HGTV's shows on couples who flip houses.

Dave LOVED to sing. He had a beautiful, bari-tenor voice and an extraordinary natural gift for delivery. His voice attracted the attention of the CBC in the mid-1950s, but he never cared for limelight - it is left to our imagination where that opportunity may have taken him. He often sang at gatherings and serenaded his co-workers in construction. He had an uncanny ability to recall an obscure, often bizarre lyric that tied into whatever you might be talking about at any given time.

Dave LOVED to teach. He taught at least six other men a good, solid trade and gladly imparted his knowledge and love for golf, hockey & physical fitness to whoever was so inclined.

Dave LOVED to golf. His passion for "the game" was kindled as a young lad, caddying at St. Charles Country Club. He was a member of St. Boniface Golf Club for 30+ years & has a wall full of trophies - an amazing testament to his dedication to becoming the best golfer he could possibly be. He won the Senior Men's Open in 1995 at Selkirk Golf & C.C., he was St. Boniface Senior Men's Club Champ 2002, Super Senior Champ 2004 & 2005. He also played on the Manitoba Senior Men's Team on 3 occasions. He could forget what he had for breakfast, but he could describe every shot he made on his last ten rounds of golf. His last 2 games were played July 22nd & 23rd before entering hospital July 24th.

Dave bore his health issues with dignity, right to the end. He rightly credited Gerda for adding many years to his life with her loving and intelligent care. She was his voice - his faithful advocate - standing in the gap for him where others, including himself, would have given up.

Dave worked hard & played hard. Whenever we would come to him complaining of our aches, pains & troubles he would encourage us by simply saying "Life is good." You are sorely missed. We love you.