Robert Keller Obituary

Robert Peter Keller BEAUFORT, SC - Robert Peter Keller of Summit Place in Beaufort, SC, passed away on December 19, 2014. Mr. Keller was predeceased by his parents, Peter and Grace Keller, his brother, Bill Keller, his sister, Lorraine Keller, and his first wife, Sarah Rodgers Keller (of Beaufort). He is survived by his second wife, Marion Smith Anderson (also of Summit Place), daughters, Grace Dixon Keller of Spartanburg, Sarah Caroline Keller of Lake City, and Julia Ann Keller of Baltimore, grandchildren Sarah Bolt and Kyle Gorzynski, great-grandchildren, and step-children, Pat Anderson Jones and Guy Anderson, and step-granchildren. A Memorial Service was held at St. Helena's Church in Beaufort, SC, on December 22. An inurnment ceremony will be in 2015 at Arlington Cemetery. Mr. Keller loyally served his country for twenty-two years in the United States Marine Corps, and was the Poster Marine for many years. He fought in the Battles of Guadalcanal and Okinawa during World War II, served as a drill instructor at Parris Island, SC, and fought in the Korean War. He earned three Purple Hearts for injuries sustained in these wars. After the Korean War, Mr. Keller studied and then taught Explosive Ordinance Disposal in Indian Head, MD, which became his occupation for the remaining 15 years of service, stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Hawaii, Naval Propellant Plant in Indian Head, MD, and Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, SC. He also trained as a deep sea diver; his main duty at the Marine Corps Air Station in Hawaii was to create a channel so that ships could safely travel from one side of the island to the other within the Hawaiian waters. During his duty at the Naval Propellant Plant in Maryland, he established a summer youth program for military and non-military youth, which earned him the prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Citizenship Award. Mr. Keller received his undergraduate diploma with a Bachelor of Arts Degree at the College of Special and Continuation Studies in 1959 from the University of Maryland, while also studying at the Explosive Ordinance School in Indian Head, MD. He then received his Master of Education from Shippensburg State in 1972, and his Masters of Arts in Education from Pepperdine University in 1975. Even after receiving these degrees, Mr. Keller continued studying and expanding his educational horizons. Upon retiring from the USMC, Mr. Keller taught History at Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA, and coached football, wrestling, and weight-lifting. He also established the Upward Bound program at the academy during the summer for economically disadvantaged and at-risk boys. After six years at the academy, Mr. Keller became the Headmaster of The Beaufort Academy, Beaufort, SC, for five years. Also, during this time until the mid-1990's, Mr. Keller was a History professor at The University of South Carolina in Beaufort and Hilton Head. After his tenure at The Beaufort Academy, he then began a career in sales, and became a top salesman for several companies in the fields of education and early education, his specialty being outdoor playground equipment design. He was a devout Christian, Episcopalian, and Cursillista, and served in any lay capacity that was asked of him. He loved music, was an accomplished pianist, and sang in barbershop quartets as often as he could. He was a loving husband and father, and was a Marine to the end, cherishing the motto of the USMC - Semper Fidelis. Memorials in his name may be made to The Kanuga (Episcopal) Conference Center, 130 Kanuga Chapel Drive, Hendersonville, NC 28739, or Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina Cursillo, 1115 Marion Street, Columbia, SC 29201, or to the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation, Inc., 7008 Little River Turnpike, PO Box 49, Annandale, VA 22003. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston