Patricia Ann Keller was born October 2, 1951, to Alfred and Martha (Hilt) Keller in Saint Francis, Kansas. At an early age she lived in Hale before the family moved to Vernon, where she was raised alongside her younger brother, Gary. Pat and Gary helped their parents with all aspects of farm life- putting up hay, milking cows, and doing whatever chores needed to be done.
Pat attended school in Vernon until the district transitioned all the children to the Wray schools. She graduated with Wray High School’s Class of 1970. After graduation, Pat continued to help her parents on the family farm. The family later moved west of Wray, where Alfred established Keller Dairy.
Pat was proud to be the mother of two wonderful children. She welcomed her daughter Angela in 1971 and her son Brett in 1973. Pat worked on the dairy, playing music in the barn to calm the cows and increase milk production. Pat took her young children often to help with milking and feeding calves. Pat also assisted her mom and aunts with gardening and canning after harvest. Each year, she brought her children to Uncle Gotlieb and Aunt Anna Lippert’s property, where they would use the tractor bucket to pick apples and pears.
After the dairy closed, Pat drove semi-tucks across the country with her father. She loved sharing stories about her travels and always made it home for her children’s events, never missing a game.
After raising her children, Pat met Tim Nelson, the love of her life—at the Legion. They married on January 12, 1991, and pat moved to Tim’s family farm, where they cared for cattle and shared 34 wonderful years. Pat worked at Y-W Electric as an electric meter reader for nearly three decades, a role she truly enjoyed because it allowed her to meet many great people and have friendly chats with everyone she encountered. Later, she began transporting lab specimens for Pathology Services based in North Platte, NE, a job she continued right up until her passing.
Pat’s motto was to take one day at a time and live life to the fullest. She was always up for a road trip across the country. Pat enjoyed traveling with her daughter, Angie, to visit grandchildren and other families. Pat took pleasure in her flowers and assisted her daughter out in the garden. She was frequently seen with a word search book, and she loved spending hours coloring with gel pens. Pat always found joy in keeping herself occupied with the activities she cherished. Together, Pat and Tim watched television, and Sundays were spent watching football, with Pat raising the roof to cheer for the Broncos. Pat will be deeply missed by her family and friends.
Pat was preceded by her parents, Alfred and Martha Keller, her brother Gary Keller, and son-in-law Larry Korf. She is survived by her husband Tim Nelson; children Angela (Dave) and Brett (Jill); grandchildren Cory, Brandon, Sierra (Jess), Blake (Kaley), Zekke, Titus, Maddix, Lennox, Avril, Vega; and great-grandchildren Peyton, Harmoney, Hudson, Kahler, Aisley, Willow, and Miloh.