Keith Bryant Zenge, age 93, of Jacksonville, Illinois, died Monday, May 24, 2021 at Passavant Area Hospital. He was born on Leap Year Day, February 29, 1928, in Jacksonville, the son of C. Carlyle and Jessie Mae Bryant Zenge. He is survived by daughter Terri L. Watts (fianc Rick Long) of Winchester, sons Steven K. (wife Lorraine) Zenge of Auburn and James K. (wife Heidi) Zenge of Buda, TX; grandchildren Joseph A. Zenge of Auburn, Brittany E. (husband Greg) Flynn of Buda, TX, Sarah E Zenge of Bowling Green, OH Brandon N. Zenge of Buda, TX; great-granddaughter Isla James Flynn of Buda, TX; stepdaughter Cheryl Opperman Brown of Jacksonville; step-granddaughter Lillie Brown of Jacksonville; and sister Judith A. (husband Dennis, deceased) Flynn of Jacksonville. He was preceded in death by his parents; infant sister Peggy Jo Zenge; infant granddaughter Rachel Therese Zenge; wife Mary Opperman Zenge; and former wives Shirley Boston (mother of his children) and Mary Lou Goodey. Keith loved three things God, family and country, and his life reflected that. He spent eight years in the active duty in the U.S. Army as part of the 44th Division and then served in the Illinois National Guard for the 3637th Maintenance Company as Staff Sergeant E6 until his retirement in 1988. He was proud to have served the country with his lifelong friend, George E. Marine (deceased) who was a Major General and Deputy Commander of Allied Land Forces Southern Europe. Keith loved talking politics and current events right to the end of his life. He was a conservative Republican and ardent supporter of Israel. He eschewed political correctness and historical revisionism and considered Ronald Reagan to be the greatest President of his lifetime. However, he was from the era where people could disagree on major issues yet remain friends at the end of the day. He was also a staunch Baptist, strongly pro-life, had an unquestioning faith in God and never failed to lead the family in the blessing at family meals. Growing up during the Great Depression and World War II, Keith was no stranger to hard work. During his high school summers, he worked for the railroad, driving spikes into rails. After his active-duty military service, Keith was a lineman for the Norfolk Southern Railway and retired after 34 years of work. Like his father, he often commented that our country would be doomed on the day that the government took away the initiative of work from the American people. Keith liked to "help out", as he put it. He served as commander of the Winchester American Legion, chairman of the Winchester Burgoo and president of the Winchester PTA. During later years he volunteered at the Prairie Land Heritage Museum, and he was also a long-time election judge. He even wound the clock at the Morgan County Courthouse when then usual person went on vacation. When he retired, he remained active, enjoyed attending the activities and sporting events of his grandchildren and travelling with Mary. His long life is a testament to his dedication to physical fitness well into his golden years. He was a scuba diver until age 75, went on many scuba diving adventure trips to the Caribbean and Central America and swam laps at the local health club until age 88. He also rode his ten-speed bicycle on the streets of Jacksonville until he was age 90. He also enjoyed gardening and landscaping, hunting, fishing, shooting his black powder muzzle loader, was a member of several muzzle loader shooting clubs and was well known for crafting scrimshawed powder horns. He was also an avid collector of beer steins and had an extensive collection of those. Keith truly believed in living an active life and often said that "from the moment we are born, we are living on borrowed time." The constant in his life was his humility before Almighty God. A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, May 29, 2021, at the Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville, with burial at Diamond Grove Cemetery. The family will meet friends 10-11 a.m. prior to the service. Keith requested no memorials, but instead asked everyone to remember to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Condolences may be left at buchanancody.com. . Visitation Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home, Jacksonville Chapel Saturday, May 29, 2021 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 1100 Lincoln Ave. Jacksonville, Illinois 62650 Funeral Service Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home, Jacksonville Chapel Saturday, May 29, 2021 11:00 AM 1100 Lincoln Ave. Jacksonville, Illinois 62650