SILVERHILL, Alabama — Keith A. Kanne, a longtime educator and a fixture in the Central Baldwin Community, died Thursday, Jan. 17 after a long battle with cancer. He was 65.
Born in Frederic, Wisconsin, in 1953, Kanne moved with his family to Silverhill in 1958. He and his wife, Diane, were married in 1976 and had one daughter, Stephanie; and three grandchildren, Drew, Abbie and Isaiah Hedden.
His teaching career was spent largely at his alma mater, Robertsdale High School. Loved by students and teachers alike, he became a technology facilitator for Baldwin County Public Schools in 1998, then retired in 2008.
“He was a remarkable teacher and a remarkable person,” said RHS Principal Joe Sharp, who knew Kanne, both as a student at RHS, and as a colleague. “He was well-loved here at RHS and in the community. I know when I made the announcement, there were a lot of teachers that worked with him that are still here who were affected by his passing. He was well-loved and well-respected by students and teachers alike.”
His interests were many and varied, including computers and technology, railroad motorcars, auto racing, photography, travel with family, weather watching and Southern gospel music.

He will be fondly remembered in the community for his renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless the USA.”
“He was just a good friend who was always willing to help out,” said Frankie Kucera with the Gear Jammers Car Club, organizer of the annual Memorial Day Weekend Car Show in Silverhill. “I also got to work with him at L.A. Raceway and have fond memories of working with him there. I always thought highly of the entire Kanne family. He is going to be missed.”
He was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Dorothy Kanne; and is survived by his wife, Diane Walker Kanne; daughter, Stephanie (Joseph) Hedden; brother, Kenneth (Kathy) Kanne; and three grandchildren, Drew, Abbie and Isaiah, by whom he was called “Grandpa Keith.”
Funeral services and visitation were held Wednesday, Jan. 23 at Silverhill First Baptist Church, with burial in Silverhill Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements were made by Mack Funeral Home & Crematory, Robertsdale.
Information provided by Mack Funeral Home with additional reporting by Onlooker co-editor John Underwood.