Anne "Kathy" Keller

Anne Kathleen "Kathy" Keller, age 87, passed away peacefully at her home in Fort Collins, Colorado early Friday morning, September 16, 2022, from a recurrence of cancer. She was born on April 11, 1935, in Racine, Wisconsin, the youngest daughter of Joseph and Evelyn Vash.

Kathy grew up in Racine and graduated from Wm. Horlick High School in 1953. On September 19, 1959, she married Richard "Dick" C. Keller. And, in 1965, their daughter Carla was born. The family moved to Fort Collins in August 1968 when Dick started work for Teledyne Water Pik.

Kathy took great pride in and devoted her life to her husband, daughter, extended family, horses, and home acreages. She managed the house, property, and animals that were at the center of the small Keller family. Her many sacrifices ensured that her husband and daughter's lives ran smoothly and helped them achieve success in their endeavors. She was the glue that kept everything together.

KATHY LOVED TO COOK AND WAS KNOWN FOR HER COOKING! Everyone was eager for a home-cooked meal - family friends, Carla's friends, and in later years, the farm helpers. She hosted a few extra guests during the holiday season and the house was always decorated perfectly.

Kathy once said she "learned to become an executive's wife". Dick traveled domestically and abroad for Teledyne Water Pik in his over 25 years of service, and Kathy made sure he was prepared to travel. She entertained and made home-cooked meals for domestic and foreign executives traveling to Water Pik in Fort Collins. She had the opportunity to join Dick in 1983 on a business trip to England, France, and Germany, sightseeing on her own.

Kathy's passion was horses. Her equine achievements are such a triumph because she was raised in an industrial town, not on a farm. When she moved to Colorado, she knew nothing about horses. Starting as a casual rider, she took a few riding lessons. She enrolled Carla in the CSU summer horseback riding camp in 1972, and their horse journey began.

Over the years, Kathy and Carla had a handful of horses. Together they bred, raised, and showed two APHA World Champion horses and they showed horses every decade for 50 years. Kathy was a great horse show mom and groom. None of the achievements would have been possible without the teamwork of the entire family.

In the early 1970s, before horses became her focus, Kathy was president of the non-profit Poudre Gymnastics Club. She also served as a horse project 4-H leader, and on committees for the Rocky Mountain Paint Horse Association including the Youth Development Scholarship Foundation, awards, publications, and worked as a horse show secretary.

As a family, the Kellers developed two long-time residence home acreages to fit their needs- large yards, raised bed vegetable gardens, flower gardens, horse barns, corrals, and an irrigated grass hayfield. Having a strong work ethic, the family did most of the work themselves.

Mom maintained her sharp wit until the very end when her body failed. Dad and I were so fortunate to have her and will miss her presence every day.

Kathy is survived by her husband of almost 63 years, Dick, her daughter Carla, plus many nieces and nephews and their respective husbands and wives in WI, CA, VA, and CO. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Bernard Vash (CA) and Joseph Vash (WI) and sisters, Janet Cunningham (WI) and Marilyn Lehner (WI).

A celebration of life will be held at a future date. The family wishes to extend a sincere thank you to Debra Vash, wife of Kathy's godson Bernie, for her non-stop loving care of Kathy in her final weeks. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in her name to Pathways Hospice of Northern Colorado.