Frederick Keller

Fred Keller was a man who sought joy and peace in the midst of music. It didn’t mattter if it was the music he made with his hands on a stringed instrument or the quiet melody of the wind rustling the leaves of the woods he so loved.

A week before Dwight Eisenhower was elected president for the first time, on October 29, 1951, Fred Keller’s life began; born the son of Nora and Fred Keller in Grand Rapids. The Korean conflict was in motion and that same year General Douglas McArthur was recalled from that theatre of conflict.

Fred experienced the typical life of a child in Grand Rapids. He attended Holy Spirit School and played the typical games with his boyhood buddies. Then in junior high, Fred would begin music lessons; lessons that would profoundly change his life. Playing electric guitar, then on to acoustic and bluegrass tunes on the banjo, Fred had fallen in love with music.

His high school days at West Catholic would be highlighted with his participation in a rock band, “Stix and Stones”. Weekends were spent playing for weddings or other gigs; dreaming that they might be the next pop band of the 60’s to top the charts from humble beginnings. Fred never made the charts but music was always a part of his soul and he would continue to play a number of stringed instruments and the piano.

Fred was fortunate; some people pursue only one thing with passion, but for him the love of the woods and the outdoors rivaled music. Always ready to hunt or trap; some of his favorite foods were wild game delicacies. Some people mistake hunting and trapping as a violent activity, but Fred like many outdoorsmen understood the sanctity of life and the delicate balance of nature; that you only took from the woods what you needed or could use. In many ways his appreciation of nature went hand in hand with his kind gentle demeanor, people and animals alike were drawn to his humor and gentle ways. Over the years he cared for and adopted a variety of baby animals and was a self taught naturalist, able to identify every tree native to Michigan. He would always be teased about his experience of making maple syrup in his home, creating so much steam all the picture hooks glued to the walls fell like rain.

Fred truly enjoyed some of God’s greatest gifts to man; music and the wonders of creation. He was caring to his family and to others as could be seen in his support of a ministry to the poor children in the third world.

His family includes his mother and father, Nora and Fred, siblings; James Keller, Christine Keller and Judy Keller; good friends; Gary Burnham, Laurie Brown, Bettina, Tarra and Rihanna Hickey.

A memorial service will be held 2 PM Tuesday, September 16, 2003 at the Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. N.W. 49504. Interment in Woodlawn Cemetery. You may read Fred’s life story, share a memory, send flowers or make a memorial contribution by visiting his personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com. Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes.