Dennis Keller

Dennis Antone Keller was born on March 11, 1936, on the family farm in Tenney, MN, the third of seven children born to John and Sylvia (Christianson) Keller. He attended country school at District 27 and after eight years of academics, he began working on the family farm. In 1955, Dennis joined the U.S. Army for two years and upon his return, he was married and was blessed with a daughter.

Under Dennis’ sharp intuition and years of experience, he grew the family farm to become one of the largest dairy operations in the Midwest and put in one of the first sunken parlors. When he was not overseeing the farm, he went after a lifelong dream of his, navigating the skies. Dennis was a loving husband to MarJo Mehrwerth and they began their life together in June of 1969.  The couple was blessed with six children who filled their lives with laughter and memories.

Dennis loved all that comprised the farm; whether it was tinkering on the equipment, planting in the spring or harvesting in the fall; it was all part of God’s wonderful design, of which he was a steward. As the years went on, Dennis would begin each winter with a deer hunting trip. When he wasn’t hunting, he would wait for the first snowfall to make its appearance. Once enough snow accumulated, you could always count on him to bring out the snowmobiles. Dennis also filled his time, volunteering to drive the bus for mission trips to Mexico.

In his later years, he and his wife wintered in Texas. He was a devoted father and a connected grandfather and always looked forward to attending the grandchildren’s activities. He enjoyed the outdoors; in particular, he loved the serenity of fishing by the river and hunting. He had a passion for any card game he could learn and was especially fond of pinochle (especially in Tintah), whist, and cribbage and didn’t lose very often. Dennis stayed active in his community; he spent many years helping at Strawberry Lake Christian Retreat. He was involved in numerous organizations and committees including 4-H, Farm Bureau, Cass Clay Creamery, Military/Army, bus driving, and school board. Dennis led a straightforward life characterized by his hard work and dedication to family and will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

Dennis is preceded in death by his parents, John and Sylvia Keller; his son, Dean James Keller; and his brother, Melvin.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Marjo Keller; his children, Debbie (Craig) Hillskemper of Upland, CA, Malinda (Matt) Olhoft of Moorhead, MN, Maria (LeRoy) Alexander of Brooklyn Park, MN, Marcia (Dexter) Phillips of Albertville, MN, Marlyn (Nicole) Keller of St. Michael, MN, and Mark Keller of Tintah, MN; his brothers, Lyle (Jean) Keller, Ralph (Maureen) Keller, Sidney (Paulette) Keller; and his sisters, Evelyn Stauder, and Eileen Bailey (John); 19 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.  He prayed for all of his children and grandchildren “BY NAME” every day!