Kellers celebrate 50th wedding anniversary

William W. “Bill” Keller and Shirley May Carlson were married at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Port Angeles, Wash., on Oct. 22, 1960. Both were born and raised in Washington state. They met as next-door neighbors near Sequim, Wash., in 1953.

Bill, a funeral director, worked as manager of Sequim Valley Funeral Home in Sequim, and Shirley worked there as a receptionist from 1972 to 1986. The Kellers were Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce Citizens of the Year in 1984.

Bill and Shirley moved to Juneau in April 1986, to Wasilla in 1994 and presently live in Houston. Bill is employed at Alaskan Heritage Memorial Chapel in Wasilla and is a member of the Wasilla Rotary Club. Both are members of the Mid-Valley Seniors and are involved in various activities at First Presbyterian Church. Shirley is a member of P.E.O. Chapter E in Anchorage.

An open house celebration was Oct. 24 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Sequim, Wash., with about 100 people in attendance. Music was provided by Olympic Express, a 10-piece band that performs traditional jazz and big-band music, for which the Kellers’ son, Kent, is the drummer.

A tiered cake with a fountain at the bottom was made by Bill’s cousin, Diane Fallon, of Langley, Wash. The original bride and groom cake topper was used. Catering was provided by Mark Schwartz of Sequim, and many arrangements of fall flowers, made by Bill’s sister Barbara Thompson of Oak Harbor, Wash., decorated the hall and tables.

A renewal of vows was performed by the Rev. Elmer Bigham, former pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Sequim (1972-81) and friend of the Kellers.

The Kellers retraced their honeymoon trip around the Olympic Peninsula on Highway 101, including Kalaloch, Ocean Shores and Hood Canal in Washington. Plans for the immediate future are indefinite.

Bill and Shirley have two sons and daughters-in-law, Garry and Brenda of North Pole, and Kent and Nerica of Sequim; four grandchildren, Ryan 15, of North Pole, and Klarissa 11, Noella, 6 and Jedidiah 2, of Sequim.