Helen Keller, 89, died February 24, 2017 at Sanford Living Center in Mandan, ND.
Services will be held at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at Mandan United Methodist Church, Mandan with Rev. Bruce Adams officiating. Burial will be at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 5:00-8:00 pm on Monday, February 27, 2017 at Mandan United Methodist Church, Mandan with a prayer service at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday.
Helen was born March 29, 1927 to Marie and Joseph Boeshans. Helen was married to Eugene Keller June 3, 1946. They started farming with Eugene's father north of Beulah, where they raised their five children. In 1978, they moved south of Mandan, ND to the Huff Hills area. There Helen, Eugene and family continued farming and ranching and expanded the operation to what is now the Keller Broken Heart Ranch.
Helen was well loved and will be deeply missed by her family. She was a school teacher for a few years during her early adult life and always talked about her students and the joys of her teaching days with great pride, even in the last days of her life. After she was married, Helen gave up teaching to milk cows on the farm with Eugene. The cows became her new passion and she thoroughly enjoyed her cows.
Helen had deep faith in the Lord. Even though her life was busy with milking and farming, she found time to get the family to church. Helen always knew her Lord and Savior would see the family through life's challenges. Helen's children claim she was the world's best mother. She was always there to cook, clean, help them with home work, play with them and tend to their needs. Helen prayed for many people throughout her life, even while she was milking cows. Helen was not one to lecture others, but during times of trouble, she often shared the reassuring phrase 'This too shall pass', which conveys the powerful reminder found in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.
Helen was very active in 4-H serving as a leader, taking all the children to meetings, judging contests, demonstrations, and fairs. Helen learned how to cook at a young age, cooking for her brothers and sisters. She was known for her German food dishes and loved preparing meals for her family. She always had a big vegetable garden which she lovingly tended, and from which she shared with family and neighbors, as well as canning for the winter months. Helen lived life to the fullest and leaves many fond memories we will always cherish.
She is survived by: sons Dwight (Susan) Keller, of Mandan, and Gerald (Cindy) Keller of Mason City, Iowa; daughters, Karen (Irvin) Wehri, Driscoll, ND and Joann (Peter) Almen, Fargo, ND; daughter-in-law Linda (Eugene Jr.) Keller of Mandan; sisters, Irma and Ruth; brothers, Bob and Emil; grandchildren, Eugene Charles (Jody) Keller, Michael Keller, Jeremiah (Britney) Franklin, Luke Keller, Jacob Keller, Tessa Keller, Christopher Keller, Justin Almen, Nicolas Almen, and Kristen Almen; great-grandchildren, Magnus Keller, Titan Keller, Courtney Franklin; great-grandchildren, Kendall, Kurtis and Kyle Newcomb.; two great-great-grandchildren, Desmond Newcomb and Christopher Newcomb.
Helen is preceded in death by her husband, Eugene; son, Eugene Jr., her parents, Marie and Joseph; brothers, Henry, Oscar and Bill; sister, Selma; and grandson, Nathan Almen.