October 22, 2026, Seward Folly

Keith Campbell, November 20, 1934 – October 2, 2026

Keith was born in Hartford, Iowa, and grew up in the Geneva area of Franklin County, where he met his high school sweetheart, Jackie. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, he trained at the Northwest Institute of Medical Technology in Minneapolis and became lab director at People’s Memorial Hospital in Independence, Iowa. In 1962, he became the hospital’s administrator, while completing his business degree at Upper Iowa University. During his years in Independence, he planned and oversaw the construction of a new 52-bed hospital and served on the local school board.

The Campbell family rule was one vacation a year, and those trips took Keith, Jackie, and the three boys throughout the American West. Two trips brought them to Alaska, and in 1971, the family moved to Seward for good. There, Keith served for 19 years as administrator of Seward General Hospital. His professional leadership extended beyond Seward. He twice served as president of the Health Association of Alaska and later chaired its board. He also chaired the board of Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska.

Keith loved politics, and he didn’t just watch from the sidelines. He was elected to the Seward City Council and the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, and he served as president of the Seward Chamber of Commerce. He also ran for Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor in 1980 but lost. Although disappointed at the time, he would later say he had “dodged a bullet,” and the loss turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Retirement in 1990 did not slow him down. Through AARP, he became an advocate for older Alaskans, chairing the Alaska State Legislative Committee and helping state lawmakers with health care reform. His involvement eventually extended to the national organization, where he was elected national treasurer and later served on AARP’s national Board of Directors.

His love of history found a home in the Resurrection Bay Historical Society, where he and Jackie were both active. He was especially proud of the new Seward Community Library & Museum, and he worked tirelessly on it as chair of its building committee. He was also a member of the American Legion and was a familiar face volunteering at the Seward Salmon Derby.

For Keith and Jackie, faith and travel often went hand in hand. They were longtime members of Seward Memorial United Methodist Church and, through United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, served side by side on many projects, most in Mexico, with others in Costa Rica, South Africa, and Israel. They made several trips to Japan to visit David and his family and traveled to Great Britain together as well.

At home in Alaska, Keith loved hunting, fishing, camping, and snowmobiling, and the passion for the outdoors rubbed off on all three of his sons. He always seemed to have the right word to help guide a decision or challenge a choice, but he let his boys live their own lives and choose their own paths.

Keith is survived by his sons and their spouses: Daniel and Teresa Campbell of Kenai, Alaska, David and Noriko Campbell of Obihiro, Japan, and Douglas and Iris Campbell of Wasilla, Alaska. He also leaves behind 10 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren. He is also survived by Baluku Augustine and his wife, Phyllis, of Las Vegas, Nevada, who came to the Campbells as a foreign exchange student and became family. Keith is further survived by his sisters-in-law Patty Rodemeyer of Hampton, Iowa, and Shirley Strong of Latimer, Iowa.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Jacqueline “Jackie” Jean (Stackhouse) Campbell; his parents, Robert Kenneth Campbell and Esther Lorraine (Cummings) Campbell; his brothers, Robert Kenneth Campbell Jr. and Jack Carey Campbell; his sister, Margaret Ann Schoonover; and great-grandchild Ollie Jak Svabik, beloved daughter of Bethany and Brian Svabik.

A service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Seward Memorial United Methodist Church or the Seward Community Library & Museum.