RAPID CITY- Alfred "Al" Keller, 85, died Friday, January 31, 2020.

Al was born in Trail City, SD on March 4, 1934 to Martin and Katherine (Buechler) Keller. He had two brothers, Theofil "T.J." and Valentine "Valley" and two sisters, Severina "Sev" Kraft and Mary Thares.

Alfred worked the family farm until he was drafted into the Army and spent one year in the Korean War. His service totaled six years with four years spent with the National Guard. He was honorably discharged in 1962 and returned to the family farm. In 1957 he met Vivien Anderson at a country dance and they were married on June 4, 1958. In 1963 the family moved to Wisconsin where Alfred worked for L.E. Myers.  Alfred began working for Brink Construction in 1960 and lived in several different places throughout his career. In 1970 the family settled in Rapid City. This is where Al retired from Brinks Construction in 1996.

Al was an avid high school wrestling fan and never missed his boys' meets or tournaments. Every other Friday night you could find him at his designated parking spot cheering on the Cobbler football team. Al had a distinct dislike for the color blue – although he never admitted it – we know it's because the "other team" wore blue.

Alfred was preceded in death by his parents, Martin and Katherine; brothers: Theofil and Valentine; sister, Severina; brothers in law: Gordon Anderson, Harvey Anderson, Lawrence Anderson, Dale Norgard and Frank Salwei.

He is survived by his wife, Vivien; his four children: Debbie (Mark) Balding, Hill City; Dean Keller, Phoenix, AZ; Dwight (Deb) Keller, Rapid City; Denice (Scott) Bouska, Stuart, NE; sister, Mary Thares; 12 grandchildren: Amanda, Brooke, Amber, Jessica, Nicole, Ashley, Kellie, Kayla, Lucas, Michelle, Nathan, Parker; 25 great grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 5:00-6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at St. Therese Catholic Church with a Christian Wake Service at 6:00 p.m.

Christian Funeral Mass will be offered at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 7, at the church.

Burial will be at 1:00 p.m. at Black Hills National Cemetery with full military honors rendered by the Rushmore VFW Post 1273 and the South Dakota Army National Guard.

In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established.