Donald Keller

1926 - 2017

Donald Dean Keller, 91, Middletown, died Saturday December 30, 2017 at his home. He was the husband of Sylvia Fraley Keller. they were married twenty-one days of sixty years. Born in Frederick on March 13, 1926 he was a son of the late Edgar M. and M. Orpha Dean Keller. He was a lifelong member of Zion Lutheran Church, Middletown. He was a 6th generation Middletown farmer who started with the Swine and Dairy Cattle industries but his lifelong career was in dairy farming. As a youth he participated in the FFA and 4-H programs, was a member of the 1st place FFA Dairy Cattle Judging team in the Frederick County contest and went to the National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago, 1970 he was the first dairy breeder nationally to have a home bred Holstein female receive the Supreme Champion over all dairy breeds and to repeat this feat in 1972 at the World Dairy Expo aka the International Dairy Show in Madison, Wisconsin. This same female went on to be chosen the All-American 4 year old and 6 year old in those same years. He was a thirty year member of the Capital Milk Producers and then a member of Maryland Virginia Milk Producers, Lifetime member of the Maryland Dairy Shrine, National Holstein Assn., Maryland Holstein Assn., member of Maryland Jersey Cattle Club, former director and member of the Frederick Co. Farm Bureau, Frederick Co. and Maryland State DHIA, former board member of Southern States, served as past chairman of Middletown, Burkittsville Soil Conservation and a member of Frederick County 4 -H and FFA. As a hobby he became a pilot and owned several small aircraft during the 1950's and he dearly loved riding horses around the Middletown Valley and in the town parade with his buddies.

Surviving, besides his wife, are two children Cindy Keller of Middletown and Wes (Denise)Keller of Frederick, two nephews Gene Keller of Jefferson and Gary Keller of Detour, two cousins Richard (Inez) Lohr of Waynesboro, Pa and Janet Lohr Dahlquist of Minneapolis, MN, two special cousins Keller Dean of Middletown and Paul Dean of Keedysville and the following brothers and sisters -in-laws; Carroll (Celia) Fraley of Thurmont, Naomi (Ray) Long of Graceham, Plummer "Tommy" (Nancy) Fraley of Thurmont, Judy Evans of Glen Burnie and numerous other nieces, nephews and cousins.

He is predeceased by his brother Wilmer H Keller and sister-in-law Ruth Warrenfeltz Keller.

The Family extends a Special Thanks to Dr. William Harper, Dr. James Krantz, the late Dr. Sherman Kahan, Dr. Hitesh Patel, Dr. Mark Coyne, The Catoctin Medical Group of Frederick and to the Hospice Staff of Frederick County.

A Very Special Thank you to our family members Mike and Cybel Cook and beloved staff at Dempsey's , special thanks to the chat and chew groups at LDS and Ingrams for the good times and memories.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 PM in the chapel at Zion Lutheran Church, 107 W. Main St., Middletown on Wednesday January 3 and 10 to 11 AM on January 4, Funeral services will be held there on Thursday January 4 at 11 AM. Rev. Marv Tollefson will officiate. Interment will be made in Zion Lutheran cemetery, Middletown.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Zion Lutheran Church Restoraton Project.