Alethea Marie Keller

Alethea Marie Keller died Monday, July 7. Born Sep. 2, 1931 in Waumandee Township, she was the fourth child of Lenora (Lettner) and Oscar Blank. She attended the one-room Anchorage Elementary School near Waumandee and graduated from Cochrane High School in 1949, where she worked as the school secretary until 1952. Known for her love of fun and for her generosity, Alethea was an industrious homemaker, crafter, seamstress, crocheter, and knitter, who made hundreds of sweaters and afghans for family members and others. She was fond of socializing with friends and relatives and playing Bridge and Sheepshead. She kept active with bowling, golf, bicycling, walking—and swimming, which learned when she took lessons in her 40s. She collected hundreds of recipes, was a skillful cook and baker, and was especially fond of making desserts. She was an enthusiastic UW Badgers and Packers fan and was proud of the Green Bay stock she owned. She enjoyed travel, including trips to Hawaii, Alaska, and especially to South Dakota’s Black Hills. Alethea was devoted to Christ Ev. Lutheran Church in Cochrane, where she was a choir member, Dorcas Circle and Ladies Aid member, volunteer in the church’s school and library, and a Sunday school teacher. She was a part-time clerk at the Cochrane Post Office from the early 1970s to 1988. Alethea is survived by her husband David Keller; two children, Katherine Keller and Daniel Keller; her brother Myron Blank; and brother-in-law Emmett Keller and wife Anne Keller, a niece, nephews, and their children and grandchildren. Her brothers Gerald Blank and Orville Blank predeceased her. A memorial service will be held Sat., July 19 at 1pm at Christ Lutheran Church. A brief burial service will be held at Buffalo City Cemetery immediately after the service. Lunch will be served in the church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Buffalo County Historical Society or Christ Ev. Lutheran Church.