Richard R. Keller Sr.

1931 - 2019

Richard R. Keller Sr.

Dick Keller passed away at Providence Hospital in Everett on February 11, 2019, age 87. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He was born December 7, 1931 in Hiawatha, Utah, grew up in southern Idaho and graduated from Pocatello High School in 1949. He served in the Pacific with the US Navy during the Korean War and returned home to earn a degree in hotel and restaurant management from Washington State University. While managing the coffee shop on the MV Kalakala on the Port Angeles to Victoria BC run, he met the love of his life, Vera Allen. They married in July 1958 and celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2018. After a short time with Stouffer's Restaurants in Pittsburgh, he and Vera returned to the Seattle area where Dick took a job with Clark's Restaurants, managing several popular establishments in and around Seattle. They settled in Edmonds and started a family. In 1973, Dick left the Clark's organization to build and operate his signature achievement, The Country Cousin Restaurant in Centralia, WA. It was an instant hit, popular not only among those traveling from Seattle to Portland, but also among Centralia residents. Dick fostered an atmosphere of homespun friendliness which combined effortlessly with the Country Cousin's hearty American cuisine. It has since become a revered institution in the Centralia-Chehalis area and still operates to this day. In later years, Dick advised the hotel and restaurant faculties at Oregon State University and his alma mater, WSU. He also served on the board of the Washington State Restaurant Association.

He is survived by Vera, his beloved wife of 60 years, son Richard Jr., daughter Julia Jaspen and grandsons, Alan and William Jaspen. He will be missed by all.

The family would also like to thank all the caregivers whose kindness and caring made Dick's final time on earth happy and meaningful.