Doris Irma Keller, 87, a longtime resident of Sweet Home and Lebanon, died peacefully on Oct. 3, 2008.
She was born June 17, 1921 in Blue Grass, N.D. to William and Lea Bauer.
She met Alton Keller while growing up on neighboring farms. The two married Nov. 28, 1943 in North Dakota. In 1946 Mrs. Keller and her two children moved west by train to Sweet Home, where Mr. Keller had found work as a carpenter and had sent for them to join him. Another son was born in 1947 in Sweet Home. Years later, four of Mrs. Keller’s siblings moved out west to the Sweet Home area as well.
Mr. Keller’s skills as a carpenter proved helpful in establishing and building the Bethel Lutheran Church; and later becoming construction supervisor at White’s Electronics.
Church life was very important to Mrs. Keller. Equally important was family. She and her husband enjoyed outdoor activities, including hunting and fishing and spending time with her children and later grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mr. Keller died in 1983 and Mrs. Keller continued to live in Sweet
Home until the late 1980s when she moved to Lebanon. There, she began attending Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Four years ago she moved to Willamette Manor, where she was very happy and enjoyed the people who helped care for her.
Mrs. Keller is survived by three sons, Kenneth Keller and his wife Jan of Edmonds, Wash., Keith Keller and his wife Cherri of The Dalles and Larry Keller and his wife Lynda of Lakewood, Colo.; six siblings, Ruth Gray, Marvin Bauer, Anita Flemmer, Lloyd Bauer, Arlois Bauer and Janice Eggers; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Alton and three siblings, Edgar Bauer, Verona Breimeier and Bernice Adolf.
A memorial service was held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Oct. 7, following burial at Gilliland Cemetery in Sweet Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Bethlehem Lutheran Church or your favorite charity.
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the funeral arrangements