Keith Stuart Shostrom, 96, of Spearfish passed away Sunday, March 1, 2026, at Monument Health in Spearfish.

Keith was born May 20,1929 in Deadwood, SD to Alexis H. “Lex” Shostrom and Stelline F. (Van Heuvelen) Shostrom. He grew up in Deadwood and graduated from Deadwood High School in 1947. His college education was interrupted by the Korean War, and he entered the US Marine Corps. Keith has always wanted to be a Marine. He was too young for WWII and could not lie about his age since the draft board lady was in the same women’s club as his mother. He served in Korea with the 1st Marine Division.

Keith married Joyce Louise Veitl, the love of his life, in Deadwood on August 22, 1953. They were married for 64 years. Their sons John and Mark were born in Deadwood. With the help of Joyce and the GI Bill, he returned to college and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Black Hills State University. He taught secondary science for two years at the Black Hills Ordnance Depot at Igloo, SD, but couldn’t afford to be a teacher and entered Federal Service.

He spent a career as a Special Agent in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its predecessor agencies. He was stationed in Denver (twice), Salt Lake City and Minneapolis. He was a DEA Inspector in Internal Security in Washington DC and DEA’s Country Attache in Hong Kong and New Delhi, India. Half of his career was spent overseas in diplomatic service fighting the drug war, where he worked throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Overseas he served as a consultant to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control in Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent.

Keith and Joyce enjoyed travelling. They went around the world several times, traveled Europe by Eurail and were in 47 states and over 50 foreign countries. During their first 30 years of marriage, they moved ten times into 22 different homes, not counting temporary residences.

Keith retired in 1982 with 30 years of Federal Service and he and Joyce moved back to Deadwood. He was active in civil affairs, serving as a Deadwood City Commissioner, a Director of the Northern Hills Hospital Foundation, on the Twin City Area Development Corporation, on the Deadwood Development Corporation and a Commissioner on the Northern Hills Regional Railroad Authority.

Keith and Joyce were rv’ers and enjoyed summers in the US and Canadian Rockies and winters in California and Arizona. He was an avid photographer, starting at the age of five when he got a camera for his birthday. At age nine he had a photographic darkroom in the basement of their home. He was also a railroad buff and historian and took several thousand railroad photos throughout the US, Europe and Asia.

Keith was a Marine, “Once a Marine, always a Marine”, but foremost he was a loving husband and father. He is survived by his sons, John in Hong Kong and Mark in Los Angeles and by many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce, his parents and sisters Jeanette Thacker and Joyce Wilkinson.

Service information will be published soon.

Arrangements are under the care of Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel & Isburg Crematory of Spearfish. Online condolences may be written at https://www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com/