Keith Dennis Winter, 86, of Cartwright, North Dakota, passed away after a battle with cancer on September 18, 2025, on his family ranch surrounded by his beloved family.

Keith was born on April 15, 1939, in Sidney, Montana to John and Amy Winter. He and his brother Dale were raised there by their father who worked at the Holly Sugar Beet factory and their mother who was a teacher. Their parents instilled the importance of education and hard work in both from a very young age. The boys loved sports and played baseball and basketball. They both played on the State Championship basketball team during Keith’s senior year of 1957.

After graduating from Sidney High School, Keith pursued his education at Montana State University in Bozeman where he earned a BS in Electrical Engineering. With his degree in hand, he worked for a brief time in Alaska and then moved on to Seattle, WA in 1966 where he worked for Boeing. He often spoke of his time there and the work that he did on the underground Minute Man Missile Silo Project across the US. During his time in Seattle, he met and married the love of his life, Patricia Elizabeth Buckley, on November 5,1966, and they soon welcomed their first born, Kimberly Anne.

In 1968, after the death of his uncle Dave Winter, Keith and Pat, with Kim in tow, made the move to North Dakota to continue to operate the family ranch which had been homesteaded in 1905. The first years were hard, and Keith worked tirelessly in all weather to improve the operation into what is now Winter Ranch 57 years later. It was here that Keith and Pat grew their family to include John David, Christy Renee, Brian Joseph and David Ross. Dale’s son Keith also spent a great deal of time at the ranch and was always like a son to them both.

They raised a happy brood, teaching their children to love the ranch and importance of family and community. Keith took his kids with him to work on the ranch or when helping neighbors. He played cards, threw the ball or just raced outside with them, he loved to read and passed that on to them all, often sharing books even after they had left home. The ranch became a touchstone for the entire family which has grown to include 15 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

Keith’s wife Pat and his family were always Number One; he was a dedicated father and grandfather and enjoyed attending basketball & football games, wrestling meets, dance recitals, Christmas programs and even several pig shows to cheer on his grandchildren and their friends, earning him the title of “Grampa Keith” to all. His hands-on efforts at home were always flanked by a community approach to working with neighbors and friends to improve their own operations, while his greater role in advocating for public land grazing rights became a central mission for him. His leadership roles with the McKenzie County Grazing Association, the Public Lands Council, and the North Dakota Stockman’s Association introduced him to fellow cattle ranchers as well as state & federal leaders throughout the Midwest and provided a platform to assist his local community in every way he could.

He was a member of the Horse Creek School Board where all 5 of their children as well as 5 grandchildren attended school. Early in his ranching career he became a member of the McKenzie County Grazing Association where he served as Vice President and ultimately became the President in 1989 and held that office for 36 years. Keith became a great spokesman for all ranchers in the National Grasslands. Keith studied, researched and listened to all aspects of grazing on Federally owned lands. He became President of the Association of National Grasslands as well as President of the Public Land Council. A lifelong member of North Dakota Stockman’s Association, he received the Top Hand Award, the organization’s highest honor, in 2023. Keith was recently given the Prestigious Work Horse Award from the Association of National Grasslands.

Keith expressed that he always had a passion for working on the ranch, whether he was haying or feeding cattle in the middle of winter, it is what he enjoyed doing. He did all the baling, put out mineral and ran the “cow processing crew” at branding right up until this summer before he passed. He felt fortunate to be a part of production agriculture, an opportunity most people in this world do not have. Keith said, “Ranching is my hobby and my passion and has been my entire life.” His lasting hope was that his children and their families would carry on the ranching tradition and pass it on to the Winter Ranch and beyond.

Keith is survived by his wife, Patricia; children Kimberly (Bill) Boyce and children Cody, Brady(Josilyn) & Jett; John (Deb) Winter and children Katlyn (Trent) Schilling & Jace (Cassidy) Winter; Christy (Greg) Kemp and children Sundance (Leeza), Sedona, Colt & Clay; Brian Winter; and David (Nicole) Winter and children Elice, Ivy & Wiley; his brother, Dale Winter; nephews Keith (Brooke) Winter and children Kaylee, Kassidy & Levi, and Steve Winter; sister-in-law Caroline Lundberg; niece Erika (Wren) McCallister and children Jack, Avery & Gabby; nephew Adam (Rachel) Lundberg and children Ellie & Lilli; and to his immense joy his 3 great grandchildren Archie & Tad Schilling and Kimber Kemp. He was deeply loved and respected by all.