He passed away 20 years ago, but his impact on Kitsap County continues to be felt today.
Keith Birkenfeld, of Bainbridge Island, lived a frugal lifestyle yet amassed a $20-million estate, most of which was disbursed to non-profits in the county. His trust’s final disbursement was recently awarded to the Bainbridge Island History Museum.
During his 66-year life, Birkenfeld did not spend money on himself; instead, he invested in real estate and the stock market, said Nick Nickum, executor of Birkenfeld’s will and his lawyer.
“A couple of his friends told me about going out for lunch with Keith meant going to McDonald’s and him having a small hamburger and a cup of water on the side,” Nickum said. The entertainment system in his condominium that overlooked the ferry dock and shipyard consisted of a modest 13-inch television set.
“One of my friends played golf with him, but didn’t like to, because he was always looking for golf balls. He’d make money selling golf balls to the pro at times. He was maybe a little bit too frugal, sometimes,” Nickum chuckled.
“The size of his estate was an amazing amount for a guy who never inherited any money. And the highest salary he ever had in his life was $21,500, the last year he worked for Bellevue High School. He had a limited amount of money, but he just kept saving,” the lawyer said.
Birkenfeld graduated from Bainbridge High School in 1956. After getting an undergraduate degree from Washington State University and graduate degrees from the University of Washington and Seattle University, he was hired by the Bellevue School District, outside of Seattle, where he taught high school students international relations and U.S. history and later served as an administrator.
Health issues led to his retirement. He spent his remaining years travelling and snowbirding in Palm Springs, where he participated in numerous celebrity events, Nickum said. Along with way, he rubbed elbows with the likes of Sonny Bono, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Debbie Reynolds and Ginger Rogers.
Beneficiaries
The C. Keith Birkenfeld Memorial Trust was formed when he died in 2005. It was written up to last 20 years, which ended this year. Over the years, several dozen local non-profit organizations received financial awards from the fund.
Seattle Foundation administered the trust, with input from an advisory committee made up of largely Kitsap County residents, including former Secretary of State Ralph Monroe, attorney and columnist Larry Little and former Kitsap County Assessor Jim Avery.
This summer, the Bainbridge History Museum received the trust’s final distribution, a $300,000 award.
“We will be using the funds for a Keith Birkenfeld Educational Center, a key part of our expansion. The space will be used for community education, community gatherings and children’s educational programs. We have all ages come in, K through 12, to use the museum to learn about Bainbridge Island history. Without the trust, that wouldn’t be possible,” said Amber Buell, the museum’s executive director of the museum.
Bremerton’s Salvation Army Corps was given a financial shot in the arm from Birkenfeld’s philanthropic endeavors.
The non-profit was given $1 million towards construction of the Salvation Army’s community center. One role of the facility has been to provide a low-barrier shelter for the homeless.
“The impact (his contribution) was huge,” Salvation Army Captain Dana Walters said. “It’s still making changes today in people’s lives all of these years later. We are still impacting people. We have a food bank. We are feeding and sheltering people. We’re giving them hot meals and showers. So even today, it’s still very effective and impactful.”
Fishline in Poulsbo, a food bank and service provider, received $600,000 for the purchase of land on Viking Way and construction of its new building in 2018.
“This facility enabled Fishline to expand operations into a comprehensive service center, where we now provide financial assistance, clothing, showers for the unhoused, no-cost mental health therapy, and a variety of children’s services that help improve our community,” said Charlie Thompson, Fishline’s executive director.
Kitsap Humane Society received $250,000 from the Birkenfeld trust for the pet adoption center, which opened in 2018.
“C. Keith Birkenfeld Foundation’s impact on Kitsap Humane Society and the community we serve has been enormous,” said Jamie Nocula, KHS co-executive director. “Thanks to the generous contribution to the construction of our adoption center, we’ve since been able to find new homes for more than 20,000 animals. We and all the families and pets we’ve helped owe Mr. Birkenfeld a great debt of gratitude.”
Dozens of other organizations received awards, Nickum said. Some include – Poulsbo-North Kitsap Rotary ($500,000), St. Vincent de Paul, Bremerton ($400,000), Central Kitsap Food Bank ($300,000), senior centers in Bainbridge Island ($25,000), Manette, Bremerton ($10,000), and Belfair ($100,000).
To support the arts, the trust gifted to Bainbridge Island Museum of Art ($150,000), Kitsap Peninsula Opera ($10,000), Bremerton Community Theater ($125,000), Bainbridge Performing Arts ($50,000), Roxy Theater Foundation ($200,000) and Central Stage Theatre of Kitsap County ($515,000).
