Harry Clinton (Clint) Keller, 84
Clint Keller left this world Monday, Dec. 7, 2015 after a short battle with metastatic cancer. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his daughters, eldest granddaughters, and his devoted wife, Mazie, at his side.
Clint was born June 2, 1931 in Shelbina, Mo., to parents Constance Olivia Keller and Harry Ross Keller. The family soon relocated to Bonners Ferry, Idaho where his father was editor of the Bonners Ferry Herald. Clint was raised in Bonners Ferry along with his brother, Kenneth Conrad(Ligia), and sisters, Constance Margaret and Rebecca Katherine(Cleve). He graduated as Salutatorian from Bonners Ferry High school in 1948. His father passed away when he was a child and in recent years Clint had lost his mother and all three of his siblings.
Clint began school on full scholarships from Pepsi and Bausch & Lomb at the University of Idaho in 1948 as an engineering student, but found that did not suit him well. Soon he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he completed his duty at Fort Riley, Kan. Clint was an excellent sharpshooter, and trained the troops in marksmanship. It was there he met Mazie-Jean Searls, who was a secretary at fort headquarters for the G-1 section. After a long distance relationship they were married in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 1961. The couple had three children in the 1960s, Margaret-Jean Behrmann (Fred) of Coeur d'Alene, Katherine Olivia Phillips (Eric) of Spokane, and Elizabeth Ann Keller of Coeur d'Alene. It was during this time period that he returned to school at the University of Idaho and earned his degrees, a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts.
He is survived by his wife, Mazie, at home in Coeur d' Alene; his three children and their spouses; his grandchildren, Ariana Theodora Day (Trevor), Olivia Athena Dale (Josh), Kate Elizabeth Behrmann, Elke Margaret Phillips, Theo Pierson Behrmann, and Beau Kendall Phillips; and by his great-grandchildren, Scarlett Olivia Day, Clinton Orion Dale, his sister and brother-in-law, and numerous nieces and nephews around the globe.
Clint spent most of his working life as a graphic artist for Washington State University at the Graphics Lab in Holland Library, retiring from WSU in 1997. In his lifetime, growing up in North Idaho, Clint worked for the Forest Service both planting trees and fighting fires. He worked at his mother's dairy herding and caring for the cattle. He worked for several lumber mills, both as a laborer and as a bookkeeper. He was a Boundary County Deputy Sheriff in the early 1950s. Clint was an artist and a musician, he enjoyed playing the guitar and singing and playing wooden flutes with his grandchildren. His art ranged from illustrations and painting, to woodcuts and carving. He loved making knife handles, and was an accomplished calligrapher. He even went through a geodesic dome period in the 1970s. He never stopped drawing and was known for his pen art on paper napkins when eating at diners — we wish we still had all those napkins now. He had a genius level I.Q. and encyclopedic knowledge of just about all trivia matters. He was a voracious reader and could finish a novel at the speed of light.
Clint always considered his most important role to be fatherhood. He didn't stop at his daughters, he continued being an excellent father figure to his grandchildren, especially Olivia and Ariana, whom he and Mazie helped to raise. He taught us to be honorable and honest, to look out for each other and to help the less fortunate. He taught us to question authority and defend ourselves and our families. He was fair to everyone in life, and taught us to be the same. He has left a huge hole in our hearts that can never be filled. We will never forget his laughter and the twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
We will have a celebration of Clint's life in June. Please visit Clint's online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.