Keith D. Woodruff's Obituary
Keith D. Woodruff, 77, of Lake Isabella passed from this life into the next on April 7, 2023, finally free of pain and health limitations that he endured bravely over the last few years. Keith was born on April 24, 1945, in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan to Donald Woodruff and Phyllis M. (Stansell) Woodruff. He graduated from Blanchard High School in 1963 and also completed some college at Northwood. Keith started his employment at Oldsmobile in Lansing for a short stint but returned home to work for Morbark Industries in Winn, Michigan where he remained for his entire career until he retired in 2006. Keith married Rosalie F. (Keelean) Woodruff in July of 1965 and had their first child, Paige E. (Woodruff) Mizner, in 1966. Work took Keith and his family to Jackson, MS and that is where their second child, David P. Woodruff, was born in 1967. From there, Keith was off to Tomahawk, Wisconsin with Morbark and he and Rosalie had their third and final child, Michael T. Woodruff, in 1971. Keith and family returned to Michigan in 1972 where he and Rosalie decided to raise their family in Blanchard, Michigan. Keith and Rose moved to Lake Isabella, MI in 1992 and absolutely loved being on the lake where boating, fishing and family get-togethers were common activities. Off the lake, Keith took enormous pleasure deer hunting with his sons and grandsons. Of course he had the biggest and best blind and always managed to bag the biggest buck on the farm property he grew up on. Without question, Keith was proudest to be “Papa” to his four grandchildren: Ashlynne Potts, Collin Mizner, Michael Mizner and Evan Woodruff. The grandkids could always count on regular calls from Papa to find out what they were up to and encourage them to do their best. He also dearly loved going to their sporting, school and band events. Before Keith’s health took a turn, he and Rose would travel to Texas to be near their son David for the winter in their 42 foot RV. Keith, a cowboy at heart, would take full advantage of all the Lone Star State had to offer, especially all of the outstanding BBQ places. Of course he would always say he was going to move down there but being away from the grandkids and the lake full time was never really a serious option. If you knew Keith, you could always count on him taking a real interest in what you had been up to and he certainly never missed an opportunity to tell or contribute content to stories about the old days with family and the many friends he made throughout his life. Keith always had a smile on his face and he absolutely loved any kind of adventure. He and Rose would take regular trips up north to the “Bridge” and different small towns just to see the sights, and more importantly, bringing home a surplus of fudge and smoked fish. Keith will be missed dearly by his surviving family and friends but leaves a legacy of such beautiful memories. He is survived by his wife, Rose; daughter, Paige; sons, David and Michael; grandchildren, Ashlynne, Collin, Michael and Evan; son-in-law, Robert Mizner; daughter-in-law, Alison (Wright) Woodruff; younger sister, Marcia (Woodruff) Braman; younger brother, Steven Woodruff; nephews, Brian Braman, Greg Woodruff, Craig Braman and nieces, Carrie (Braman) Clawson and Kim (Woodruff) Moore. Finally, it would not be an accurate description of our dad’s true personality without conveying what a truly authentic, loving and compassionate man he was to his family, friends and pretty much everyone he came in contact with until the end. There will be a “celebration of life” event held in Keith’s honor in early summer. All those who knew Keith are encouraged to attend as he would love for everyone to be together and tell “old stories.” The exact date, time and venue will be announced in the Morning Sun newspaper.
What’s your fondest memory of Keith?
What’s a lesson you learned from Keith?
Share a story where Keith's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Keith you’ll never forget.
How did Keith make you smile?