William Henry Keller

William "Bill" Henry Keller, 88, of Asheville, died Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at the John F. Keever, Jr. Hospice Solace Center in Asheville, NC. A native of Akron, OH, he was born on April 30, 1920 to Dorothy Waldman and Anthony W. Keller. He attended Akron University and graduated from North Carolina State University in 1949. He served in the United States Marines, Air Force Division, 1st Marine Air Wing from 1941-1946 during which time he served in World War II in the South Pacific. He was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. Bill was a member of the Country Club of Asheville and the Biltmore Forest Country Club. He worked at Martin Marietta (now known as Lockheed-Martin), Orlando, FL in the Information Systems Department. He was later president of Bell Additives Incorporated in Longwood, FL and a Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League. He was one of the key persons in building the Orlando Metropolitan Bridge Center (OMBC) in Orlando, FL and was their first president. A room in the OMBC is named the "Keller Room". He was a member of the Basilica of St. Lawrence, DM in Asheville, NC. Bill was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He is survived by his wife of over 65 years, Ruth U. Keller; two daughters, Pat Neff of Lake Mary, FL and Priscilla Hall of Winter Park, FL; one sister, Dorothy Grote of Cuyahoga Falls, OH; one brother, John Keller of Richmond, VA; five grandchildren, Adam Zimmerman, Steven Zimmerman, Dawn Hall, Jon Hall, Jr. and Courtney Cox and one great-granddaughter, Gwynneth Cox. A funeral mass will be celebrated by the Rev. Fr. C. Morris Boyd at 10:00 AM on Friday, December 12, 2008 at the Basilica of St. Lawrence, DM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to CarePartners Hospice, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813 or to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic, PO Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486. Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian in Arden, NC is assisting the family.