Keith I. Sommerfeld

Keith Irving Sommerfeld passed away at Heatherwood Assisted Living on May 27, 2025. He was 96 years old.

Keith was born August 30, 1928, in the town of Lafayette, Chippewa County, to August and Sigrid (Horne) Sommerfeld. He attended Stillson grade school and graduated from Chippewa Falls High School in 1946. He was active as president of FFA and played on the football team, being elected captain in his senior year. He served in the National Guard.

He married Carol Ann Lindgren on August 12, 1950 at the Truax Congregational Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

He received a baccalaureate degree in Agricultural Education at River Falls Teachers College (University of Wisconsin-River Falls) in 1951 and a Master's Degree in Agricultural Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1969. He began his education career as a Veteran Trainer at Viroqua, WI. He taught vocational agriculture at Clayton, WI, and worked for Midland Cooperatives of Minneapolis as a Merchandising Specialist in feed, fertilizer, and agricultural chemicals. He started his tenure in University of Wisconsin-Extension as a Dunn County Farm Management Agent in 1957. He served as Pepin County Agent for 3 years and then returned to Dunn County in 1963, where he served as Agricultural Extension Agent until his retirement in 1987.

Following his retirement, he served on the Dunn County Board of Supervisors for nearly 12 years. While on the board, he held positions such as: Vice Chair of the County Board, Chair of Health Care committee, Chair and Vice Chair of Audit, Finance and Claims committee, and acted as Chair of the ad hoc committees of Re-apportionment, Economic Development, and the Special Committee on County Government. He represented the county board on the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, and the Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the county Jail/Space Needs Committee which eventually resulted in the construction of a new Judicial Center. He served many years on the Dunn County Fair Board where he was also on the board of the Wisconsin Association of Fairs.

During his career, he was active in professional organizations, serving as Secretary and President of the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Agents, and as Vice President of Epsilon Sigma Phi. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, Certificate of Appreciation from the Dunn County Snowmobile Council, Service to Agricultural Community award from Dunn County Farm Bureau, and Excellence in Agriculture Award from the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

He enjoyed working in his hobby shop and was very proud of the garden tractor he built that had a 10-speed shift, and the various electric and gas-powered miniature cars that he built for his grandchildren to drive, especially in parades. His saw and wood-turning lathe were always turning out finished pieces that he used as gifts for his family and friends. He took particular pride in the strength of the two-wheeled trailers that he built from his accumulation of odd pieces of metal.

Keith's wife Carol passed away two years prior to him, after a long and happy 72 years of marriage. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Lorraine (Arnie) Bjork, his sister Alice (Bob) Lingenfelter, his brother Wayne (Margaret) Sommerfeld, and his brother Roy Sommerfeld.

He is survived by his three children: Rick (Sally) of Eau Claire and their children Heather Bandoli and her children, Sebestyen, Ayla and her children Aurora and Arya, and Shannon (Mark)Sandberg and her children, Violet, Ophelia, and Edison; Randy (Kay) of Menomonie and their children, Jill Sommerfeld of Menomonie WI, Jen Giedd of Eau Claire WI and her children, Eva and Liam; and Dean (Randi) Sommerfeld of Iola, WI and their children, Justin (Tiffany) Sommerfeld of Spring Green, WI and their children Hazel and Noah Sommerfeld, Rachel Sommerfeld of Amherst, WI; and a brother Dale Sommerfeld of Foley, Alabama.

The family would like to thank Heatherwood Assisted Living and St. Croix Hospice for all their excellent care.

A Memorial Service will be held at Heatherwood, Assisted Living, in Eau Claire, WI. on Friday, June 13 at 11 am, preceded by visitation at 10 am.

Picture courtesy WEAU.