James Keller

James Keller, 85, Bismarck, went to be with the Lord on June 4, 2017, after a courageous battle with cancer. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am Thursday, June 8, at Church of St. Anne, 1321 Braman Ave., Bismarck, with Rev. Wayne Sattler officiating. Burial will be held at 2:00 pm Thursday at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Wednesday, June 7, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E. Divide Ave., Bismarck, where a vigil service will begin at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. James “Jim” was born on February 18, 1932, in Killdeer, ND. He earned a GED and attended the Wahpeton State School of Science. Jim married Vernice Braun on April 28, 1954, and together they had four children, Valorie, Donovan, Kevin, and Jaime. Jim served in the military as a drill sergeant for the Army National Guard during the Korean War. He worked at MDU for 28 years and owned Keller Heating and Air for 10 years. He then worked 10 years as a playground supervisor for Saxvik School. Jim enjoyed repairing things and had an incredible amount of patience, he thought everything was fixable. He enjoyed time spent with his family fishing, camping, grilling, dancing and also playing Bingo at VFW. James is survived by his wife, Vernice Keller; his children, Valorie (Jerry) Harlow, Donovan (Constance) Keller, Kevin Keller, and Jaime (Ted) Hatley; his grandchildren, Alexa (Trever) Uhlman and Brandon Keller; his siblings, Verona Keller, Frank, Willard, Russel, and Bruce (Carol) Keller. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Edna Keller; and his siblings, Wallace, Edwin, Douglas and Gordon Keller, and June Jesser.