Keith W. Jeannotte

KEITH W. JEANNOTTE – of Woburn, Monday, March 31st. Beloved husband of Barbara (Naughton) Jeannotte. Devoted father of Robert K. Jeannotte and his fiancée Amber Wallace of Wilmington and Ryan C. Jeannotte of Woburn. Dear brother of Leroy, Bennett, Kevin, and Daryl Jeannotte and Madonna Yokley, all of ND, and Joe Jeannotte of IL, and of the late Dwayne and Clayton Jeannotte. Also lovingly survived by many “pseudo” children and many nieces and nephews and their families. A Funeral will be held from the Lynch-Cantillon Funeral Home, 263 Main Street, Woburn on Friday, April 4th at 9:15 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Barbara’s Church, 138 Cambridge Street, Woburn at 10. Interment is private. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to call at the Funeral Home on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. Remembrances may be made in Keith’s memory to the Turtle Mountain Foundation, 10145 BIA Rd 7, PO Box 340, Belcourt, ND 58316 or to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

OBITUARY:

Keith W. Jeannotte passed away unexpectedly on Monday, March 31st at his home. The beloved husband of Barbara (Naughton) Jeannotte, he was seventy-four years of age.

Born in Rolla, North Dakota, he was the son of the late Wilfred and Josephine (Daigneault) Jeannotte. One of nine children, he was raised on the family farm, where all of his siblings participated in the activities of farm life, from baling hay and milking cows to running the tractors and mending fences. He was educated in St. John where he was a graduate of St. John High School with the Class of 1958.

Having been of Native Indian decent, following high school Keith became a member of the Tribal Police and served as a Tribal Officer in Belcourt, North Dakota. He later joined the United States Navy where he served his country proudly during the Vietnam War. Following the service, he made his way to work around the country, from police officer in Alaska to firefighter in Augusta, ME. He came to Massachusetts in the mid-seventies, when he began working as a driver for Taylor Rental. In later years, he secured a position as a machinist at Compugraphics, where he progressed to Foreman.

It was here in Massachusetts that a friend introduced him to Barbara Naughton. That day was the beginning of a lifetime commitment. In 1980 they married and made their home in the West Side of Woburn, where they have remained. They brought two great sons into the world, to whom they have been dedicated. Following and encouraging them, Keith spent a great amount of time with his sons, fishing, camping, taking trips to the shooting/gun range, and visiting family back in North Dakota. Cape Cod was always the venue for summer vacations, where all the family would gather and truly enjoy each other’s company.

A very mythical and epic story teller, he captured the interest of many with his myriad of different tales. He was not only creative in his thinking and storytelling but also had quite a knack as a cartoonist and illustrator. In his “younger years” he had been published in the Saturday Evening Post.

A large man in stature, he always did things in a “big” way. He devoted himself to his family and to the friends of his sons. He was a wonderful listener and as a result he acquired many loving “pseudo” children, who still remain in the family as loving and admirable adults. The love and respect he shared with his family and those to whom he was like a second father will not be forgotten. They have lost a very significant person in their lives but have the fondest memories of a man who truly loved them.

Keith was sadly predeceased by his brothers, Dwayne and Clayton Jeannotte.

He is lovingly survived by his wife of over thirty-three years, Barbara; his sons, Robert K. Jeannotte and his fiancée Amber Wallace of Wilmington and Ryan C. Jeannotte of Woburn; and his siblings, Leroy, Bennett, Kevin, and Daryl Jeannotte and Madonna Yokley, all of ND, and Joe Jeannotte of IL, as well as his many “pseudo” children and many loving nieces and nephews and their families.

A Funeral will be held from the Lynch-Cantillon Funeral Home, 263 Main Street, Woburn on Friday, April 4th at 9:15 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Barbara’s Church, 138 Cambridge Street, Woburn at 10. Interment is private. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to call at the Funeral Home on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. Remembrances may be made in Keith’s memory to the Turtle Mountain Foundation, 10145 BIA Rd 7, PO Box 340, Belcourt, ND 58316 or to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.