Raymond C. Keller, 101, of Hayesville passed away Thursday, June 29, 2017 in a Murphy care facility.

Mr. Keller was born April 17, 1916 in Largo, Florida, the only boy of four siblings. He worked mornings, evenings, and on school lunch hours to help his dad with farm chores, which included milking 20 cows twice a day—by hand.

Mr. Keller graduated from Rockfield High School near Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1934. There were six in his graduating class. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served his country from 1935 to 1939. Following his honorable discharge, he went to work in the Carnegie Steel Company in Charleston, West Virginia, where he learned metallurgy on the job and helped manufacture steel plating for the United States Navy’s battleships during World War II, until the plant closed in 1947.

In 1947, Mr. Keller moved his family to Saint Petersburg, Florida where he found work on the Bee Line Ferry, which transported passengers and automobiles from Pinellas County to Manatee County across Tampa Bay, prior to construction of the first Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the 1950s.

Mr. Keller retired to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina in 1982, where his passion was farming. He had four acres of blueberries, which he opened to the public every July for picking. He enjoyed cultivating his blueberries and apple, peach, and cherry trees; and planting corn, beans, onions, okra, squash, peas, and tomatoes. He served the Lord as a faithful member of the Warne Church of Christ for over twenty years. He says he has been blessed by the Lord beyond belief.

He was the son of the late Peter Cooper and Evalyn Westbrook Keller and the husband of the late Margaret “Bobbi” Keller, who died August 23,1999. He was also preceded in death by two sons, Andrew and Stephen Keller; a granddaughter, Krista Rebecca Gray; and three sisters, Elizabeth Wheeler, Hazel Hicks, and Dorothy Lee.

Surviving are a daughter, Evelyn Rebecca Keller of Hayesville; a daughter-in-law, Darlene Keller of Maitland, Florida; and two great grandchildren, Taylore Lee Mahon and Noah Aron-Keller Gray.

Funeral services were held at 3:00 PM Sunday, July 9, 2017 in the Chapel of Ivie Funeral Home, Hayesville with the Rev. Sakkie Pretorius officiating. The interment was in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens with military graveside rites conducted by the Hayesville VFW Post 6812 (Allison-Bristol), American Legion Post 532, Murphy DAV Chapter 73, American Legjon Post 96, and the Marine Corps League Cherokee Detachment 1011. Pallbearers were Ron Arnold, Daniel Meadows, Scott Ferguson, Tom Grant, Dean Morris, and Greg Kuzma.

The family received friends from 6-8 Saturday evening, July 8, 2017 at the Ivie Funeral Home, Hayesville.

Ivie Funeral Home, Hayesville in charge of all arrangements.