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Keith Robert Struss, 66, of Albert City died Sept. 20, 2026, at Cherokee Specialty Care.
Memorial services will take place Saturday, Oct. 17, at 11 a.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Albert City. Burial will be in Fairfield Cemetery in Albert City. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Sliefert Funeral Home in Albert City is in charge of the arrangements.
Keith was born on May 6, 1960, to Cyril and Evelyn (Nielsen) Struss in Austin, Minn. He attended grade school in Tyler, Minn., and later graduated in 1978 from Denison High School. He went on to study refrigeration, graduating from trade school in Omaha in 1979. In 1981, Keith and his brother Dean purchased Curtis Electric in Albert City.
On Sept. 29, 1984, he was united in marriage to Janet Petersen at United Methodist Church in Marathon. They were blessed with two children, Melinda “Mindy” and Robert.
Keith later worked various maintenance jobs until he found his passion at Northwest Communications. Keith was a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Albert City. He loved to attend all of his children’s and grandchildren’s activities while he was able to. He also volunteered as Cub Scout Leader for a few years. In his free time, Keith loved being outdoors. You could find him hunting, fishing and tending to his garden. Keith enjoyed working with computers, cooking and baking, and doing anything mechanical while listening to his favorite music. Dogs were Keith’s favorite animal, and he especially loved German Shorthairs. More than anything, Keith treasured time with his family. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
Keith was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease, Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 2 in 2009. It is a progressive disease that caused him to slowly lose his independence and his ability to do the things he enjoyed with the people that he loved.
Keith will be remembered by his wife Janet Struss of Albert City; children: Mindy (Eric) Struss of Newell; Robert (Katie) Struss of Albert City; brother Daryl Struss of Sioux City; grandchildren: Trenton Struss of Iowa City; Sawyer Puhrmann of Newell; Violet, Lark and Eve Struss of Albert City; sisters-in-law: Colleen Struss of Albert City; Geraldine Struss of Owatonna, Minn.; Delyn Struss of Sioux City; many nieces and nephews, cousins, extended family and friends.
Keith was preceded in death by his parents: Cyril Struss; Evelyn Struss Larsen and stepfather Clyde Larsen; brothers, Alan Struss and Dean Struss; parents-in-law, George and Lola Petersen; and siblings-in-law: Dwaine Petersen; Beverly and Eugene Sandvig.
“Death isn’t the end of life. It’s the start of another journey.”
