Keith Cilla, of Farmington, passed away much too soon at the age of 34. He will be deeply missed by all who loved him.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2020 from 4:00 – 8:00 PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation (833 S. Marschall Road) in Shakopee. Face masks and social distancing are required. Memorials are preferred and will be distributed by Keith’s family in his honor.
A private family service will be held on Sunday, October 25, 2020 at 12:00 Noon. Friends and extended family are invited to stream the service at the following link: Keith Cilla Funeral Service (Meeting ID: 910 4468 1663 / Passcode: 986986). Pastor Diana Hunstad will preside . Kevyn Williams, Marshall Williams, Jason Handberg , Joe Read, Jake Johnson, Aaron Evenson, Ryan Saxowsky, Brayden Watkins & Gresha Vdovchenko will act as pallbearers , and Giovanni Cilla will act as honorary pallbearer .
Keith was born in Edina on November 29, 1985 at 1:01 AM . He grew up in the Twin Cities. His childhood taught him some hard lessons about perseverance and strength. As a teenager , Keith discovered his passion for cars with his brother Kevyn , especially Cadillacs. His first car was an old, brown Cadillac, and he loved it! Keith spent countless hours riding around in Cadillacs with his brother, Kevyn . They eventually became known as The Cadillac Brothers , and they even have coordinating Cadillac tattoos.
As a teenager, Keith met his first love, Ellen Kingren . They rode the school bus together and became quick friends. As young adults, they welcomed a beautiful son, Giovanni in 2008. Keith loved his son SO MU C H! He was incredibly proud to b e Giovanni’s dad. Although Keith and Ellen went their separate ways, they remained close and were always dedicated parents.
Keith loved spending time with G. Together they enjoyed fishing, playing in the dirt, exploring and just being goofy together. Keith always showed an interest in what Giovanni liked, and they loved doing special projects together.
In 2012, Keith met his soul mate and the love of his life, Elysia Watkins . On their first date, they spent hours talking and ended the night playing Xbox Bowling. The next day, Keith sent Elysia flowers, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. She was his Q ueen, and he was her King . Keith often said, “ Alla Luna” to Elysia. In Italian, this means “To the Moon” because that is how much he loved her.
Keith also fell in love with Elysia’s son, Brayden. Keith was always so good to him and loved spending time with Brayden. As a family they spent lots of time at Brayden and Giovanni’s baseball and football games. They also took some fun family road trips. One of Keith’s favorites was taking the boys to the Black Hills, Deadwood and Mount Rushmore. Keith and Elysia also found time to get away just the two of them. Their last anniversary was spent on the North Shore and hiking Devil’s Kettle.
Throughout his life, Keith always had a strong work ethic. Anything he did, he put his all into it. Keith did a lot of work in the construction industry, but his favorite job was as a tower climber. Keith also enjoyed building and creating things for his home . He was a busy guy and was always working on some kind of project. He was especially proud of Cilla ’s Villa out front of their home . But the best thing about their house was that it was so close to his mom. Keith loved that he could pop in just to say, “Hey, Momma!” any time he wanted.
Keith was a kind and generous man. He w ould do anything to make someone smile and was always there for a friend in need. Throughout his life, Keith had many struggles and his demons eventually got the best of him . Keith is finally at peace, but he is gone much too soon.
His family is now left to carry on his legacy. Keith will be remembered always by his loving m other, Lori Cilla (James Moore) ; son, Giovanni Cilla & his mo m, Ellen Kingren ; fiancé , Elysia Watkins & son, Brayden Watkins ; brother , Kevyn “ KevBob ” (Amy) Williams ; bonus brothers, Jason Handberg and Marshall Williams ; nieces & nephews, Dove L ynn, Dayton, Kylee and Westyn ; aunt s & uncle s , Cheryl & Randy Korwes and Jeff & Lisa Stoy ; Father, William Saxowsky ; siblings, Ryan Saxowsky and Jessie Ayotte ; many other loving relatives and dear friends .
Keith was greeted in Heaven by his grandparents, John & Judy Cilla and grandmother, “Grandma Doris “ ; cousin, Nate Awalt .
