A Note of Thanks...
Officers and Crew of the USS Davidson, Thank you for the beautiful flower arrangement. We appreciate the many cards, calls and prayers. When Deke answered the ad for the Davidson member reunion, I watched his enthusiasm and joy grow as he reconnected with many old friends and in making many new friends. He wanted to do his part and had a passion for everything about the Davidson. It became his hobby. He enjoyed working on the logs and would tell us stories as he remembered those time lines and events. A special thank you to Jim Kelly from Toronto. He spent hours talking and giving comfort and support to our whole family. We were very touched. Thanks again for all your support and God Bless you. Dallene & The Keller Family |
Fond memories of Deke Keller...
|
As a member of the sonar gang the name most often used for KELLER was Sweet Pea. where it came for I do not know. Well, Sweet Pea was going to prove he was a true sailor. The best way to do that is get a Tattoo. What better than the American Eagle. The only problem was Sweet Peas arm was about the same size as the Eagle. We often teased Sweet Pea that the wings touched on the under side of his arm!!!!!!!!! Darryl we well miss you. Please respect your new Captain and watch over the crew.
THANKS BUDDY
DENNIS
|
I do not have a big story to tell. I was a part of the original sonar gang so we experienced the early days together. We had some good times in Pearl Harbor, Subic, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and of course on the ship. We were young and the times were wild. Darrell helped me carry my stuff off the ship when I got out in 1967. He was a great guy and an old friend of mine.
Bruce W. Cary
Ex STG3
|
| I am very saddened to hear this news. My thoughts and prayers are with Deke and family. WE should celebrate his life and appreciate the fact that he served on the Davidson.
Bob Ferguson
|
Thanks for keeping your shipmates updated on Deke Keller's medical condition, and thanks to Renae for sharing all of this with us. Deke truly has been a mainstay in keeping the DAVIDSON spirit alive. He and his family need to know that all of us are thinking of him and praying for his well being.
Bob Weidman
|
| Mates I'm not sure what to say about Deke. We shared a few laughs & emails & good natured kidding ( Deke- Mich. Me-Ohio). I wish Deke & family the best of luck, but I have to believe the Good Lord will do what's best for Deke, we may not like the results but then the Lord is taking care of Deke & the Lord knows what's best for him. Deke liked to be at the reunions & he probably will be, we just may not see him. Let's just pray that someday we may all be together again aboard the Spiritual Davidson & shoot rainbows instead of bullets.
Take care,
Marty Hunt
|
| Although I have never met Deke in person, and was hoping to this October, I did communicate with him via e-mail, and it was always a very uplifting and positive discussion with a fellow Davidson Shipmate. My thoughts and prayers to Deke and his Family in these very challenging days for them.
Sincerely
Jim Moczarny
|
| I remember Deke particularly well when we were pre-commissioning up in Newport. Deke and Ed Klein were a great help to me in putting together all the Operational Manuals necessary as part of the pre-com process. Our prayers are with Deke and his family.
Paul Merwin
|
| Deke Keller made a huge contribution to the successful commissioning of DAVIDSON as part of the pre-commissioning crew. Deke was instrumental in helping put together our Operating Manuals prior to the time the pre-com and shipyard crews joined as one to put DAVIDSON in commission. Farewell Deke, you were a fine shipmate.
Paul Merwin
|
I didn't get to know Deke personally – my loss. But I got to know him through his excellent work for all the Davidson shipmates, and by all of his efforts as Historian and Davidson Reunion worker.
Thank you Deke for all of your fine work on our behalf. God Bless and give you rest.
Thank you,
Larry Habdas
|
Shipmates: It seems there's very little anyone can say or do to ease the loss of a shipmate who meant so much to you. Deke's family and the rest of us can take some comfort from knowing that all of us care. He is now on a cruise that we all will take some day, and knowing Deke, he's already formed a new DAVIDSON reunion association. May God bless and embrace us with his love and help us endure the loss of our shipmate.
Doc
|
| I've only known Deke for a few years but I feel like I had known him forever. I always enjoyed visiting with him at the reunions and also on the phone. Sometimes he'd call when Bob wasn't home and he and I would have a wonderful chat. He was such a special person to me and I'm going to miss him terribly.
Just before the reunion in 2006, Deke called and said that he was going to have a surprise for us. He wasn't going to tell us what it was but would show us at the reunion. When he got to the reunion, he showed us his Dress Blues and told us that he was going to come in to the meeting room the next morning wearing these. He said that he'd had them cleaned and had to have them "let out a little" but that they fit and he was interested to see the reactions he'd get when showed up in them. The next morning, here he came but no Dress Blues. I asked him about this and he told me that he put them on that morning and they just "itched like hell" so he wasn't going to wear them. I told him that he HAD to put them on just long enough for everyone to get pictures. I told him this was a first and that I doubted that there were even a couple of the guys that could fit into their Dress Blues after all these years no matter how much "letting out" there was to them! He went back to his room and came back a while later and WOW, what a sharp guy he was. Of course, everyone was running around with their camera getting a picture.
Deke was the best sport about it even though you could tell that the only thing he wanted to do was get back into his other clothes. I think everyone was really impressed and this is something I've heard people mention at every reunion since. Deke did so much for the Association and took such pride in everything he did. He was a special friend to all who knew him and a dear friend to me.
Karen Schippers
|
| I can't think of anyone of the crew that got more excited about finding his buddies after 40 years than Deke did. His voice changed completely when talking about his buddies and the ship. In person his eyes would get as big as saucers and he would get real serious. When we lost Frank Speer 2 years ago we lost the humor of his stories. When we lost Deke we lost the excitement. He was always willing to take on a project for the Association no matter how long or involved. No one could write a letter with navy terms in it like Deke and make you excited just reading it.
My favorite story about Deke was in 1967 on our 1st WestPac cruise and we were going to Chin Hae, South Korea for one day's liberty. Deke was out on the fantail of the ship with his camera taking pictures. A few of us thought we would pull a good one on him and go over by him and start pointing to the hills of Korea and jump up and down with excitement. Deke saw us and wanted to know what we saw and we told him it was Pork Chop Hill where the army fought a big battle during the Korean War. Deke took lots of pictures and like usual he got real excited too. When I finally found him by phone for the first time in so many years I confessed to him about our little prank. I guess he had every reason to be a little mad about it but he was so excited about finally talking to his first crew member in so many years that he overlooked it. From that moment on he was making plans to come to the reunion in Branson. I was happy to be the one to connect him up with so many of his brothers. In our last conversation before he went into the hospital he was still talking about coming to the reunion this year. I just bet you that Deke and Frank Speer have met up already and are making their plans to be at the reunion--Frank with his humor and Deke with his excitement.
Robert "Tweetie Bird" Schippers
|
It was always a pleasure to get to see Deke at the reunions. He was always so complementary of the website which is where I first had the opportunity to meet him. He wrote in, incredibly excited about attending his first reunion and he was going "to meet and greet with a vengeance." And he certainly did. I will always remember that saying... it has become one of my favorites!
You will certainly be missed Mr. Keller!
Brean Crosby Fowler
|
| It was very saddening to learn of health problems this past year that come to plaque Deke, and his family, and then learn that the problems continued to grow for our shipmate Deke Keller. Today was the climax of those health problems. I am happy Deke no longer has to suffer, but so sad to lose a friend and shipmate, and sad for his loss to his family and friends in Michigan. I see that Deke will have a military funeral and a 21 gun salute, I am glad, I know of no man more deserving of that honor.
While I knew Deke in passing on the ship, and we met often in mess decks, work parties, etc., I found more than an old shipmate, I found a good friend from that ship in him some 40 years later, how ironic is that?
Deke was so special in so many ways. I always felt elevated in spirit after visiting with him by phone or email. He could make you feel like a million dollars, he had the "People Gift". I admired him for his many accomplishments both in his working career, and in his hobbies. He went after everything with gusto.
As for the reunion association, he is responsible for many of the things we have to share with other shipmates, such as the first year of film footage of the ship. That was Deke who taped it then, kept it, and shared it all these years later, beautiful and valuable film footage. He shared a copy of the ship's plans that he acquired on commissioning day, our first set, then set about working and making more distinct and clear some subsequent more detailed plans we acquired through a gift from Ltjg Bob Ferguson. Deke was always there, he accumulated the dog tags for the project to put them on the ship, he collected our history and transcribed it over to more easily read script. He had ship's patches made up and donated them to the association for fund raising. Whatever you needed, Deke was there, with an eager smile on his face. He gave of his wallet, he gave of himself, to make available the experience to all he served with that only sailors really know the pleasure of, " Getting to share a reunion and moment of memories with old shipmates".
His signature sign off "FAIR WINDS" seems appropriate, Deke himself was FAIR WINDS to his friends and family, he helped boost many along in life to a happy or safe port in our lives for awhile. Anyone who knew or served with Deke was enriched in their life for having known him. I can't think of a better testament to one's life than that you were there to serve and to make other's lives better. A gift from the heart, that was Deke. Fair Winds to you my brother, another shipmate I will remember to my dying day.
Russ Crosby |
|
