Tom was born in Oberlin, Ohio to Louis F. and Lillian Keller on January 7, 1922. He grew up and went to school in St. Paul, Minnesota, and spent time in Florida as well. Tom graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BS in aeronautical engineering. He later obtained his MS degree. He was on the University swim team and was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity.
He married Nancy Patricia Adams of St. Paul, Minnesota on March 19, 1943, immediately after graduating college. They left for California and the U.S. Navy the next day. Nancy predeceased him in 2013, after more than 70 years of marriage.
After serving in the Navy in California during WW II as a Chief Petty Officer, Tom and Nancy moved to Levittown and then Bethpage, Long Island, New York, where they raised their family, and where Tom began his long career with Grumman Aerospace (Now Northrop Grumman). His first job at Grumman involved work on the Rigel rocket for the Navy. He was then involved in pure research, and among many other projects, worked on the Lunar Excursion Module, which successfully landed the first American astronauts on the moon in 1969. This made him an actual rocket scientist! Upon retirement from Grumman in 1987, he and Nancy moved to Fort Collins.
He had a lifelong love of aviation and learned to fly in a Piper Club as a teenager. He built and flew model airplanes throughout most of his life. He was the one-time President and lifelong member of the Rocky Mountain Modeleers of Northern Colorado.
He also had a love of music, and in his younger days played trumpet in local jazz bands. He later switched to baritone horn and tuba, performing throughout the years with several local community orchestras, including the Northern Colorado Concert Band.
Very handy with tools, he built both a garage and a large extension on his home in Bethpage.
He also had a lifelong passion for reading, which he indulged in more in his later years.
His only brother Louis predeceased him.
He is survived by his four children, Thomas and his wife Andrea, Gerald, Laurence and his wife Joann, and Kristin and her husband Stuart Silver.
His grandchildren are: Bryan Keller, Elizabeth Keller Catoe, Amy Silver, Diane Keller, Steven Silver, Samantha Silver, and Olivia Keller.
He is also survived by seven great grandchildren.
He had a long and satisfying life and was well loved by family and friends.
There are no services, as was his wish.
Donations may be made to the Fort Collins Wind Symphony.
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