KEITH A. KRAFT

Keith A. Kraft, 52 Devils Lake, died Saturday, February 22, 2014 in the loving care of his family and Mercy Hospice after a courageous fight with cancer. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Friday from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Visitation will also be at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Devils Lake on Friday from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary and Scripture Service at 7:00 p.m. The Rosary will be led by the Knights of Columbus. Mass of the Resurrection will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church with Fr. C.F. Wilhelm celebrating the Mass. Keith will be laid to rest at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery. Keith A. Kraft was born on October 4, 1961 in Devils Lake, North Dakota, the son of Lawrence and Mary (Martinson) Kraft. He was reared and educated in Devils Lake and graduated from the Devils Lake High School in 1979. From there he went to Lake Region State College in Devils Lake and went into Diesel Mechanics. After college, he worked at John Deere in Cando then at Langton Enterprises in Devils Lake. He started working at Service Tire in Devils Lake in 1982 then became the owner and operator of Service Tire in 1995 where he worked until his death. He was united in marriage to Laurie A. (Roed) on July 16, 1983. They established their home in Devils Lake. They had two beautiful daughters he was so very proud of-Chelsi and Courtney. Keith was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus and the Elks Lodge. One might say he was a member of everyone’s heart, as he made everyone he met feel special, and always welcome in his home and his life. He went out of his way to help those around him in any way he could and went above and beyond when it came to helping his family. Keith loved to laugh and joke around with just about everyone he met. He always had a joke to tell, and seemed to lighten everyone’s spirits, even when in pain from his cancer. He loved to play with the light of his life, his grandson, Brody, and loved the excitement of dirt track racing. Most of all, he loved spending time with his beautiful family. He is survived by and will be sorely missed by his wife, Laurie; daughters Courtney Kraft and Chelsi (Ryan) Schroeder and grandson Brody all of Devils Lake; his mother Mary Kraft also of Devils Lake; brothers Kurtis Kraft, Kevin (Kim) Kraft, Karl (Brenda) Kraft and his sister Kristina Kraft all of Devils Lake; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Gary and Judy Roed of Minot, ND, Rick and Michelle Roed of Maple Valley, Washington, Bill and Pat Roed of Devils Lake, Terry and Tina Roed of Arlington, Washington, Bonnie and Joe Keller of Bakersfield, California, Vickie and Robert Schneider of Crary, ND; friend and mentor Myron Krein, Devils Lake and several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father, Lawrence; grandparents Arnold and Regina Martinson and Joseph and Julia Kraft. Casket Bearers for Keith will be Karl Kraft, Kevin Kraft, Randy Nelson, Shane Diseth, Tony Nordin and Robert Schneider. Honorary Bearers will be Keith’s dear friends, beloved family and trusted employees of Service Tire. Reading the Scriptures will be Courtney Kraft and Kim Kraft with Gift Bearers as Karl, Brenda, Jolea and Addison Kraft. Eucharistic Ministers will be Carla McKelvey and Jeanne Hammond.