William C. Keller

William Charles Keller died on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012 after a short illness.

He was born in St. Marys on Jan. 5, 1919, son of the late Henry Frank and Elizabeth Johanna “Hanna” (Tretter) Keller. On Dec. 2, 1944, in Manhattan, Kansas, he married his high school sweetheart Dorothy Marie Dippold Keller, who survives.

He was a great-grandson of Francis Joseph Keller who was a member of the group of Bavarian immigrants that, on Dec. 8, 1842, founded St. Marys as a haven for persecuted German Catholics.

Bill was a 1937 graduate of St. Marys Public High School. As a youth in 1936 and 1937, he attended Citizens Military Training Camp (CMTC) for a month each summer at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland. He worked for an insurance company for five years before joining the Army in 1942.

Bill served in the Army for four and a half years, with a year and a half spent in the Philippines during World War II. At his separation from active military service in September 1946, he held the rank of Captain. He continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve and was retired in 1979 with the rank of Lt. Colonel, USAFR.

After active military service, Bill moved from St. Marys to Washington, D. C., to pursue a college degree. In 1949 he graduated with distinction and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from George Washington University in Washington, D. C. In 1952 he graduated from Georgetown University School of Law where, at the Law Center, he served on the Board of Editors of the Law Journal as the Recent Decisions Editor.  While obtaining his higher education, Bill held various jobs including selling Westmoreland sterling silver, taking the monthly labor employment census for the Census Bureau, operating elevators on Capitol Hill, and being a night watchman.

As an attorney, Bill served several federal and international organizations and was admitted to the Bar in Washington, D. C. and Illinois. He worked at the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission from 1952-1958, settling claims made by countries for damages sustained in World War II. From 1958 to 1960, Bill was general counsel for the American Medical Association in Chicago, Ill. He returned to Washington, where from 1960 until 1972 he worked at the Export-Import Bank, where he negotiated international loan agreements for planes, bridges and a variety of things that foreign countries wished to finance.

Subsequently, Bill was appointed vice chairman of the Micronesian Claims Commission and lived in Saipan while settling the final foreign war damage claims from WWII, a position from which he retired in 1979. Bill continued working for six more years for the International Finance Corporation (IFC), negotiating international loan agreements for The World Bank. In 1977 he and his wife moved from Washington, D. C. to Gaithersburg, Md., where he resided until his death.

Mr. Keller was a member of the National Press Club, Phi Beta Kappa and the Military Order of the Carabao. He enjoyed playing tennis, exercising, and collecting stamps and coins. Bill was a voracious reader, interested in a wide variety of subjects. He had a passion for education and was forever grateful for the G.I. Bill that enabled him to pursue higher education.

In addition to his wife of 67 years, he is survived by a daughter, Lois Ann Keller-Poole and her husband Terry Poole of Walkersville, Md.; two granddaughters, Annmarie “Annie” Fox (David) of Frederick, Md., and Alanna Poole of Walkersville, Md.; two step-grandsons, Michael Poole (Ann Marie) of Jefferson, Md., and Christian “Chris”

Poole (Allison) of Frederick, Md.; four step-great- grandchildren, Danielle, Justin, Elizabeth and Hunter Poole; numerous nieces and nephews; and his wife’s sister-in-law, Ora Dippold.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Richard Keller.

Visitation for William Charles Keller will be held at DeVol Funeral Home, 10 Deer Park Dr., Gaithersburg, Md., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, and prayers will be said by the Rev. LaHood from St. John Neumann Catholic Parish.

A second visitation will occur at the Lynch-Green Funeral Home at 151 N. Michael St., St. Marys, on Tuesday, Aug 28, 2012 from 10 a.m. until noon, at which time funeral and committal services will be offered by the Rev. Meinrad from St. Mary's Church, where Mr. Keller was baptized and attended the parish school in his youth. Burial will take place at the mausoleum at the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery.

Donations in his memory may be made to: William Charles Keller Scholarship and Loan Fund, The George Washington University, Division of Development and Alumni Relations, 2100 M St. NW, Suite 310, Washington, D. C. 20037.