Keith Martin Westfall

Oct 20, 1951 -

Feb 8, 2026

Keith Martin Westfall, 74, of Big Lake, died on Feb. 8, 2026, surrounded by family in the home he built more than 40 years ago. As desired, he "did it (his) way" and stayed home until his time was up after battling COPD and other ailments for several years.

Keith was born at Fort Knox, Ky., on Oct. 20, 1951, the second child of William and Mary Westfall. Before his first birthday, the family moved to Alaska, where his father was stationed at Fort Richardson. Keith grew up in Anchorage and the Matanuska Valley, including in Turnagain-by-the-Sea, on the family homestead near Knik, in children's homes in Palmer and in East Anchorage. He attended East High School.

Keith joined the Navy in 1970, and served 43 months in the Pacific during the Vietnam War refueling planes on the USS Constellation, the USS Coral Sea, and also serving on the USS Ogden.

He married LaDonna Bantz on Aug. 12, 1978, and they settled in Big Lake, where they built a home and raised their two children, Kortnie and Kaleb. Keith worked as a wildland firefighter, as a general contractor, building many homes in Anchorage and the Mat-Su, and for the Bureau of Land Management.

Because he would never let his job define him, he most enjoyed his free time: sled dog racing, playing men's league hockey, snowmachining, hunting, listening to Aces games on the radio and having backyard barbecues. He staked and built a cabin retreat at Jan Lake near Lake Louise, and was a longtime participant in Wolfpack events. Closer to home, he spent time grooming trails in Big Lake. He was a backyard hockey rink-builder, chauffeur, spectator and sometimes fill-in-coach during his kids' youth hockey tenure.

Outside of snowmachining and hockey, Keith was a serial hobbyist, to include ham radio operating, woodworking, wood turning, map orienteering, reloading and more.

In their later years, Keith and LaDonna bought a motorhome, and went on many Alaska adventures before her death in 2015. He continued adventuring, with trips to the cabin on snowmachine and wheeler, going on his last RV adventure 4th of July weekend 2025.

Keith is preceded in death by his father, Bill; mother, Mary; stepfather, Walter Smith; older brother, Karl; and wife, LaDonna. He is survived by his children, Kortnie (Jake) Horazdovsky of Chugiak, and Kaleb of Dillingham; grandchildren, Anna, Michael, Martin and Julia Horazdovsky of Chugiak; brother, Kurt of Wasilla; sisters, Katy Neher of Anchorage and Kristi Jacobs of Salem, Ore.; and many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and -nephews across the country.

The family will hold a celebration of life in summer 2026.