Glenn Keller
January 6, 1927 ~ November 22, 2022
Glenn Keller, 95, retired Mechanical Engineer, died Tuesday, November 22, 2022. He was born January 6, 1927 to Edgar and Verma Keller in Preston, Kansas. Glenn had nine brothers and sisters, one of which died as a baby, all growing up on the farm. Glenn went to Antrim high school through his sophomore year, transferred to Preston high school and graduated from there. His family played a lot of baseball growing up, with cousins living nearby, they were able to create two teams and played almost every weekend. Glenn had 3 brothers that were pitchers, so he was left with catching. He and his brother Ernie were selected to play in the all-star team 2 years in a row while playing semi-pro. In the early part of 1941 the military draft began. Glenn’s three older brothers had enlisted in the military and when he graduated from high school the draft board offered him a deferment to stay on the farm. His brothers tried to convince him to not join but he wanted to leave the farm and decided to join the maritime service. While in the Merchant Marines he saw the world, including France, Italy, Iran (Persia), Belgium and England. In December 1948 Glenn and his friend decided to enlist in the Air Force. He did basic training at Lackland, AFB in San Antonio. He was shipped to Guam for a 13-month tour of duty but when war broke out with Korea he was transferred to Okinawa. While in Okinawa he was part of the crew that repaired B-29s when they came back from bombing raids. Once his tour was almost up, he was transferred to Seward AFB in Smyrna, Tennessee, near Nashville. While in Nashville he went on a blind date with Mildred Berry and ended up marrying her 6 months later. They, along with Patricia, Mildred’s 3-year-old daughter, moved to Wichita, Kansas. Glenn started attending night school at Wichita State University while working full time. He graduated in 1962 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and worked at Boeing as a liaison engineer. During this time, he and Mildred had two more children: Pamela, born in 1957, and David, born in 1962. In 1970 there was a massive layoff of engineers and Glenn bought a Dairy Queen to support his family. It turned out to be a family-run adventure, providing part-time jobs for Pam and David. Glenn was called back to Boeing for a short time, but he left and went to work for Learjet and ran the Dairy Queen. He sold the Dairy Queen and retired from Learjet in February 1992. He and Mildred sold their house and moved to the lake at Council Grove, Kansas. They spent their winters at Lake Havasu, Arizona. Glenn and Mildred moved back to Wichita when Mildred began to have health issues. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on September 9th, 2002. Two years later Mildred passed away, Glenn said that it was the saddest time of his life. However, he also endured the loss of two of his children, David in 2009 and Patt in 2013. Glenn spent his retirement days playing golf and staying active until a series of falls starting in June limited his mobility. His daughter Pam played golf with him every chance they got and enjoyed spending time with him.Memorial Service will be at 1:00 pm, Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at Downing & Lahey East Mortuary.Glenn was preceded in death by his parents, Edgar and Verma Keller; wife Mildred Keller; daughter, Patricia Nelson; son, David Keller; 6 brothers; 3 sisters. He is survived by his daughter, Pamela (Paul) Bush of Wichita; grandchildren, Nicholas (Jennifer) Woods, Allison (Kyle) Eckelberry, Alexander (Maria) Bush; great-grandchildren, Wyatt Eckelberry and Meredith Bush.A memorial has been established with First Tee of Greater Wichita, P.O. Box 8313, Wichita, KS 67208.
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Fair winds and following seas sailor.
“Boatswain… Standby to pipe the side… Shipmate’s going Ashore…”
Thank you Glenn for your service to this nation. U.S. Merchant Marines, WWII.
Rest Glenn, until you hear at dawn, the low, clear reveille of God.
Thank you for your service to this nation. U.S. Air Force, Korean War.