Donald "Ernie" Keat, age 77, of Whittemore, died on April 14, 2016, at the Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona, Iowa. Burial will take place May 14 at 11 a.m. at the Manning Cemetery in Manning.
Donald Edward Keat, the adopted son of Albert and Lillian (Schultz) Keat, was born on June 20, 1938, in Emmetsburg, Iowa. He graduated from Manning High School on May 20, 1958. Ernie had worked as an Electrician for Jim Utt and Jim Gade as well as road and building construction and also as a truck driver for Con Agra and Shiny Hilbert. Ernie served for 25 years on the Algona Fire Department. He was an avid race mechanic and pit man for Jim Utt and helped build the Britt race track. He was a supporting member of the Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville.

Ernie was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Rodney Leroy Keat.