Anthony Dean Kellum

When such a great tragedy happens, there are no words to describe, no comfort that can be given, No statute of limitations on the grief felt. But it is in our grief for the loss of such a wonderful person that binds us. In that we can remember the man Anthony Dean Kellum was and find solace in celebrating the life he lived.  

Anthony was greatly expected and much hoped for. On the day of his birth his father, sister and Mother were at his Uncle Doug’s house. His Uncle was in a panic because his mother did not want to go to the hospital too soon. She kept pacing the halls and would grip the walls each time a contraction would come which would subsequently be followed by uncle Doug’s shrill “Is it time yet?”

Anthony came into this world at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS. on November 4, 1984, to Larry and Cindy Kellum. He was welcomed by an older sister Rachael. A year and a week later to the day, he was joined by a younger sister, Christina. Being from a military family, Anthony and his sisters relocated often, but were primarily raised in Mt. View, WY; Huntsville, AR; and Gillette, WY.

Anthony seemed to have a predilection for misadventure even from birth. His first major incident came as an infant. The family was living in Georgia at the time in a two story house. On the second floor there was a gate and it had a hook latch. He managed from his baby walker to figure out how to unlatch the gate and go for a ride down the stairs. Of course the family kept a more watchful eye on the gate from then on. However, on one occasion they were bringing in groceries his mom had put him in the walker to allow the adults get everything in. Somehow on one of the trips back and forth, he managed to get out again. However, this time he tumbled end over end and split his tongue straight down the middle. After that he was watched like a hawk to keep any more tumbles from happening.

Then there was the infamous bath tub incident. His Mother had run him a small bath to clean him up and had stepped away for a moment to grab something. Suddenly the blood curdling scream of “Momma! Momma!” rang out. Instantly the entire family ran to the bathroom and there stood Anthony in the tub, backed all the way up in the corner saying “Momma their gonna get me, their gonna get me!” as the little brown floaters came closer and closer.

Shortly after the bath tub incident came the perfume accident. Being adventurous, Anthony had no fear of climbing and exploring. However, his adventurous nature turned very pungent when he attempted to climb on top of his parents chest of drawers. Unfortunately the whole thing tipped over and at its top rested a bottle of concentrated jasmine perfume oil that his dad had picked up for his mom in Egypt. Luckily he was unharmed, but the smell of the perfume continued to permeate the house for months.

Of course with his many misadventures he often forgot that corporal punishment was not above neither him or his siblings and thus the cough syrup incident is a prime example of his forgetfulness. As he and his sisters stood lined up in front of their dad, he started his questioning with Anthony. “Did you drink that cough syrup?” “No sir,” he replied with the purple ring of evidence clearly around his mouth. Next he asked Christina and she quickly responded “no daddy he did it” and pointed her finger at Anthony. Then his dad asked his oldest sister Rachael who had just come in from summer band practice and had no idea what was going on. Anthony's dad then pointed at him first and said “your in trouble for lying” looked his youngest sister and said “your in trouble for tattling” and looked at his oldest sister and said “your in trouble cause you are your brother and sister's keeper.”

His family thought Anthony's interest for tasting things would end there. However, it was soon discovered that this would not be the case. It was not uncommon for his mother to find spices and other odd things from the cabinet missing. It was eventually found out that his mad scientist obsession with mixing weird food combinations would be a life long hilarity. Raw spaghetti noodles with soy sauce, straight salt (seasoning, regular, rock, etc.) on his tongue, uncooked ramen noodles as a whole brick, bouillon cubes, and pure vanilla extract were just a few his many enjoyments.

As he got older, Anthony's tasting turned to actually reading contents and figuring out what it’s benefit might be. On one occasion he and his friends discovered that the toy machine at the grocery store had started to sell hemp bracelets. They spent all their change buying these thinking that they were actually “something else”. It wasn't long before his mother figured out something was up. She went out behind the wood shed to find some very sick boys having attempted to smoke the bracelets.

Then there was the time his mom went to Montana to visit his dad on a project and left his oldest sister in charge. His youngest sister had found him in the bathroom very sick and went to tell his oldest sister something was wrong. They both went running in to find a half empty bottle of mouthwash and a very sick boy on the floor. Immediately poison control was called to which they informed the girls that the most he would have was a real bad belly ache. His older sister then proceeded to call their Mom and Dad to let them know that Anthony had drank the mouth wash because he read on the label that it had an alcohol content and thought he would have a little night cap.

Anthony's love for the outdoors was unprecedented. He would light up with each new hunting or fishing gift and was always ready when his dad would give the word it was time to go. Of course, much to his delight, his sisters were never invited. Finally, after begging and pleading their dad decided to take the girls along for a hunt, much to Anthony's dismay. But his disappointment quickly turned to delight when his sisters stepped out of the vehicle and subsequently retreated right back in complaining it was too cold and they were too tired to hunt.

Even outdoor activities that had nothing to do with hunting or fishing were a delight for him. One time the family went snow sledding up in the Uinta Mountains. They had gotten snow sleds that looked like snowmobiles with brakes and steering wheels for Christmas and took them out for a day of fun. Anthony, the daredevil, decides he’s going to go to the top of the big hill and come down. On his decent he made it around the sharp corner, but his aim was off and instead of hitting the straight away at the bottom, he hit the ramp he and his sisters had made. Subsequently, he went airborn and upon returning to the ground disappeared into a snow drift. The whole family went running over and heard him moaning under the snow. As they dug him out everyone realized he was moaning because his legs were wrapped around a sapling, the object that had stopped him.

His adventurous nature was never stifled by the possibility of injury. One time he and a friend had built a bike ramp. He called his mom and his sisters out to watch him make his jumps. He started off with a bolt and made a beautiful jump then suddenly disappeared as the bike did not feel the direction they were going should be anywhere other than on the ground. Another of his injuries occurred when he was in a break out run playing in the back yard. Unfortunately he did not see the single line of barbed wire and clothes-lined himself, leaving a small puncture wound very close to his wind pipe. Then there was the time he and his sister were playing in the back yard. They would often enjoy a good game of tag and on this particular day it was no exception. His younger sister was "IT" and was chasing after Anthony while he dodged and tried to escape. Sudden he fell to ground and yelped in pain. Upon examination it was found that he had fallen in a hidden hole in the yard and his leg was stuck up to the thigh making his rescue quite difficult.

Then there was the time the family went camping. Anthony and his younger sister decided that even though the water in the river was ice cold, they were going swimming. As they came out of the water they called to his older sister. “Sissy this black mud won’t come off our feet.” His big sister had to carry them both to their dad and have him help me remove all the little leeches that had attached to their feet.

Being in the outdoors often Anthony's adventures often crossed paths with in different ways. One particular occasion was how he got his nickname from his dad. The family was living in Tuscaloosa, AL and they had a neighbor who kept chickens. One day Anthony wanted to play with the chickens and walked right up to a rooster. This particular rooster was named rojas and had a history of being quite mean. The rooster turned on Anthony and attacked. He ran screaming as this rooster chased and spurred him around the yard, until his dad finally saved him from the attack. After that Anthony tried to steer clear, but the rooster had an eye for him and their battles were a regular occurrence. This is how he got the nickname rooster from his dad.

There were occasions of Anthony's outdoor adventures that sometimes left him with a bit of the good old family razzing. As was common, the family had taken to a day of fishing. Anthony had become quite the angler, having learned not only how to use his rod and reel, but technique and tying knots. However, baiting his own hook was still one he was learning. As he grabbed a worm and attempted to put it on the hook like he had been taught, something went wrong. Screams of "it bit me, it bit me!" sounded over the water. Anthony was convinced that worms had secret teeth and the worm had bit his finger. Of course he later realized that he had mistakenly touched the hook to his finger, but not after much laughter and some good old fashioned silliness.

Sometimes during Anthony's animal adventures, it was purely miraculous that no one was seriously injured. A visit at his Uncle Doug's in Ocean Springs is an example of how dangerous some of his encounters were. Anthony, his sisters, and his cousin were playing in the back yard while the adults played cards. His uncle lived along the coast and his house sat right on the brackish salt canals. As Anthony's father recalled he remembered Anthony's oldest sister running in to report that "bubba and sissy are feeding the gator!" Anthony's dad jumped up and as he rounded the corner to the back yard a very large gator, mouth open, sat on the bank square between all the children. The gator had come in for bread and the kids were holding it out to feed it. In a moment of quick thinking, Anthony's dad picked up a cinder block and tossed it. It barely missed the children as it sailed right between Anthony and his sister at head level, hitting the 8 foot gator square in the head. The gator quickly retreated to the water. Anthony's uncle went into a panic thinking the gator was dead and voicing how they were protected. The gator was quickly spotted floating under a nearby dock. Uncle Doug, afraid that they were going to get into trouble, went to retrieve the gators body to hide the evidence. But, Anthony's dad quickly interjected informing him that the gator was fine. Not believing it, Uncle Doug grabbed the gator by the tail and as it went into a full roll thrashing in the water. All the children and adults retreated quickly indoors.

Alligators seemed to have a reoccurring theme for a short period of time. The family was living in Alabama and decided to go for a fishing trip. While his mom, dad, and oldest sister were fishing, Anthony and his youngest sister had started to explore. While looking around they came across a armadillo. The animal started to attack so he and his sister would kick to keep the animal away. Little did they know that the true danger had nothing to do with the armadillo. Each time Anthony would kick the armadillo and it would come at his little sister she would scream. With each scream the water where the rest of the family was fishing would come alive. Apparently the shrill sounds of her petite scream sounded very similar to baby alligators and the larger gators were coming in quickly thinking one of their young was in danger. The whole family quickly retreated to the safety of the truck and the armadillo that started it all was subsequently forgotten.

There were a lot of recurring themes throughout Anthony's life and crossroads of these themes sometimes were not the intended result. When the family lived in Georgia Anthony and his younger sister could often be found outdoors, exploring and trying to discover the animals around them. In the spring a robin had built a nest in the tree next to the house and it quickly became a focal point for the family when the chirps baby of baby birds would ring through the yard. Inevitably, curiosity took hold and never having seen a baby bird, Anthony convinced his younger sister that they had to take a peek. Well they managed to get the bird out and return it safely to the nest. However, not heeding their dad's warnings to leave the birds alone, they had no idea the tragedy that would befall the little bird. Unfortunately, having been touched by people, the mother bird pushed the little bird out of the nest and the children found it and tried to put him back. No matter how many times they put it back the momma bird would put it back out again. With the calls of dinner in the air, Anthony and his sister went inside hoping their mistake would not be found. It wasn't a short time later that their dad had Anthony and both of his sisters lined up questioning about the baby bird, who had unfortunately perished when it had fallen to the ground after the momma bird pushed it out while they were at dinner. Quickly the story came out and while a nose on the wall was the punishment, neither Anthony nor his siblings forgot the lesson that day.

Anthony's love for the outdoors was never diminished, despite misfortunes, and became quite the nail-bitter on occasion. The family never knew what critter or creature he was going to catch and bring home. They have seen everything from bats, to opossums, spiders, lizards, raccoons, turtles frogs, and then some. You name it and at some point it has probably resided in the house temporarily. His most infamous one was snakes. The entire family remembers the time he and his friend Dunham were hooping and hollering from the swimming pool. Keep in mind the swimming pool had been a dumping ground for every fish both boys had caught for about a month. His mom went out to find out what all the ruckus was about and found the boys playing keep away with a water moccasin in the swimming pool. Of course they knew when Anthony's dad got home they were in for it, but they had a secret weapon. The minute Anthony's dad went to scold them, the boys told him he just had to see what they had caught. The two of them hauled this big trash can over and open the lid. The inside was about half full of garter snakes, a mating ball they had stumbled upon. All his dad could do was to tell them to turn the snakes loose away from the house and no more playing with poisonous snakes. As the boys returned the snakes to the woods they counted and discovered that their were about 200 snakes in the mating ball. Once the boys finished with the snakes, they were told they had to remove and clean the 75 bass, brim, and catfish they had pinned up in the swimming pool. While the cleanup was difficult, the resulting fish fry was well enjoyed.

Even with his love for catching things, Anthony was an avid sportsman, always believing in never taking an animal that you weren’t going to eat and releasing those that you weren’t going to consume. He took his first elk at age 9 and even one Thanksgiving came home with head hung to tell his dad he wasn’t going to believe it. Sure enough the boy had managed to shoot back to back a 7 and an 8 point deer. However, Anthony also had a soft spot for all creatures. On one occasion, though, it left him with a sore spot that he never thought he would live down. One day he was hunting and came across a fawn stuck in barbed wire. Trying to free the poor creature he jumped on it and scared it to death. His dad went to chew him out for taking a deer with spots still on it. Then Anthony's dad checked the animal over and saw not a place where it had been shot. Doing what was right they took the poor fawn up to the ranger station to check it and Anthony was met with quite a few jeers.

Anthony, being an animal lover cherished his pets. One of his favorites was Gizmo his little dog. Gizmo is a terrier mix and they were best friends for 3 years. Gizmo came into his life as a poor rejected puppy who he rescued. Knowing his mom and dad did not want any more pets, Anthony gently presented his puppy with the story of his impending doom. After hearing Gizmo's unfortunate story they agreed to let him stay and he became very much a part of the family. He currently resides with Anthony's mom and dad. Other notable pets Anthony had through the years included his tarantula, twitchy his Ferret, numerous snakes, lizards, and various other wildlife.

With his love for the outdoors, Anthony was also quite the comedian. His streaking and mooning were regular events. He always seemed to know how to turn any situation hilarious including his cow from the wrong side of the fence routine, hungry chicken, the man of 1000 crazy faces and many others. Of course the infamous tampon torpedoing was a hilarious moment. It started out with the discovery of a box of tampons and quickly turned into an all out war. Tampons were hung from his ears in the heat of battle as more and more projectiles were shot across the living room. By the end of it the whole family including his friend Dunham were involved with clear battle lines drawn and the clear objective was winning. He always went out of his way to make others smile and try to brighten their day. Additionally, he was a generous and giving person. Be it the little trinkets he would make for a girl at school or giving of his time and efforts to those in need. The type of guy, who would give you the shirt off his back and never expect anything in return. A true friend to all he met.

      Anthony was an independent person who had a vivid imagination. Anthony had a number of interests as a youth. He was an active child. Anthony took part in baseball, football, and street hockey. He was a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA). In his spare time he liked baseball cards, POGS, his BB gun, fishing poles, and drawing. Anthony's memorable achievements included learning AutoCAD in the 5th grade and drafting an award winning F-16 aircraft with his dad as the pilot, winning first place in the 5th grade science fair for a project on use of recycled materials in salt water filtration, winning the 7th grade science fair for a project on the Venus fly trap, winning First place youth bull riding division as well as overall in Fort Bridger, WY Junior Rodeo, and First Prize Belt Buckle in Calf Busting at the Cody, WY Rodeo.

During his teen years, Anthony's family had moved to Arkansas. When they moved there he and his sisters found themselves in unfamiliar territory. They had never been in the city before and were determined to soak up every bit of it. They would go to the arcade and drive go carts, go to the movies, and hang out at the mall. While not his normal scene, he and his siblings enjoyed the new environment, but hungered for time in the country surrounded by the outdoors. This became evident when he and his younger sister decided to go out one evening to catch fireflies. The apartment they were living in was situated in the middle of a golf course. As they searched around trying to scoop up the little flickering bugs, the discovered the best catching ground was by the wrought iron fence that divided the golf course from the apartments. What they did not know was a group of older kids had snuck onto the golf course and were stealing the flags. As security made the rounds, trying to catch the thieves, the came upon Anthony and his sister. They were instantly accused of being the masterminds behind the theft and were hauled up to their apartment to discuss the incident with their parents. As the accusations flew, both Anthony and his sister stood there frightened still holding onto the jars with the fireflies in them. Finally, their dad stopped the security people and asked both Anthony and his sister what they had been doing. They both held up their jars of fireflies and Anthony's younger sister boldly spoke up that neither of them even stepped foot on the golf course because all the good fireflies were on this side of the fence. At that moment the family knew that while the city had its perks, Anthony and his sisters belonged in the country.

They family finally found a home that offered this and Anthony was much relieved . However, he and his sisters didn't forget their city adventures and would drive to town to revisit some of their favorite things to do. One time they decided that they had to go to the movies, as it was the premier weekend for the much anticipated Blair Witch Project. Anthony and his sisters got ready for their night on the town and away they went to see the movie that everyone was talking about. When they got there, they were almost turned away for being under 18, but quick thinking, a few well placed crocodile tears, and a story of his oldest sister being 18 and their sole guardian quickly got them in. Anthony and his sisters looked absolutely a fright as they left the movie, believing that its contents were a true story. The entire way home, every animal had glowing eyes and they were convinced something was following the car. The minute they pulled into the drive, Anthony and his youngest sister bolted to the house leaving his oldest sister behind the wheel. From inside, peeking out the windows they called to his oldest sister to run, which she did right into the safety of the home.

      Anthony was enthusiastic about learning and was interested in sports. In high school, Anthony ran track, participated in fishing tournaments, skating, and basketball. Recreational sports included volleyball, badminton, darts, horseshoes, and pool. Anthony was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were the Olympics, boat racing, fishing, BMX, Motocross, snow-skiing, bobsledding, surfing, and skateboarding. He graduated from Westwood High School in Gillette, WY in May of 2003. He enjoyed some classes more than others, having favorite courses and teachers. His favorite classes in high school was Recess, Engraving, and Biology. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Mr. Dan. Some notable High school achievements were designing the school mascot (Bulldog) and convincing teaches and faculty to proceed with Westwood High's First Graduation Ceremony. One memorable moment was when his oldest sister Rachael and a friend of her's drove from Arkansas to Wyoming to attend his graduation. Anthony was very excited about his sister coming and wanted to do something special. He got up early and made a monster breakfast. It was just about ready as his sister and her friend walked in the door. Then he realized he had forgotten the orange juice. With a big hug to his sister, he ran out the door and hopped in his truck to jet across the street to the convenience store. However, he neglected to look where his sister's friend had parked her car. With a large crash he quickly realized where the other car was parked. Getting out he dropped his head as everyone came out to see the hood of the car behind crumpled with the dodge pickup parked fully on it's hood.

While a reserved person and often comfortable in reflective solitude, Anthony's circle of friends were those who he found a common ground with over the years. In his younger days he found a friend Ronnie Robins, often enjoying playing and fishing. As a teen, his best friend was Antony Dunham, a brother in arms who quickly became like another sibling to his sisters and a wayward child to Anthony's parents. As youths they were inseparable and continued to keep in touch through the years. In adulthood his friends Jamie, Shay, Melissa, and Haleigh were people who he considered close and enjoyed spending time with.

      Anthony was romantic, even poetic at times. He was very passionate about family and friends, able to show his emotions although sometimes spontaneous about it. On February 15, 2008 Anthony exchanged wedding vows with Krista Chanel McKinney at Pulaski County Courthouse outside Fort Leonardwood Missouri. Later that year they parted ways, knowing the spontaneity of love sometimes is best kept as friends.

      All who knew him would agree that Anthony was devoted and loving to his children. He was the proud father of two, Allea Pauline Elizabeth Kellum and Krystyan Kellum. Anthony considered Jamee Wandler his son as well. He cherished each moment he was able to spend with them, as distance was a recurring factor. He tried his very best to stay in contact and keep the lines of communication open, although circumstances beyond his control made this difficult at times. Despite the challenges, he never gave up hope and continued daily to strive for peaceful resolution in his struggles.

His love for children was often doted upon his nieces and nephew. His niece Ashlyn, in particular was constantly on the heels of her Uncle Bubba. Anthony would dote on her when she was little, calling her "goober." He began to teach her words and sentences. Some of these were specifically to impress his gal pals. He would take Ashlyn shopping, which his female friends found adorable and marveled at his soft side with kids. Then Ashlyn would pipe in with well rehearsed lines of "Hey cutie what's your name?" or "Hey sweetie can I have your number?" To which they responded with "How sweet!" name and number in hand ready to exchange.

      Anthony was an Army Veteran and served as a Transportation Specailist 88M. He completed basic training at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. He attended AIT training at Ft. Leonardwood, Missouri. He then was assigned to the 39th Transportation Batallion in Kaiserslauten, Germany from February 2008 to October 2009. Anthony did not see action but served during the Iraq and Afgahnastan Wars. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of E-3 Private First Class (PFC). He received several awards including a Expert Rifleman, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon. Anthony was not a person to speak up about his achievements, thus many may not know the ones he valued the most. He valued all his military ribbons and was particularly proud of his certificate of completion for the Motor Transport Operators Course and Hazardous Materials Driver. He medically retired from the military in 2009. In addition to his service in the military, Anthony was also a Industrial Health Safety Specialist, he apprenticed in welding, and had worked in Construction.

      As an imaginative and inventive person, Anthony was comfortable showing his creative spirit. He enjoyed his leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. His favorite pursuits were an unmatched love for the outdoors. He loved to camp, fish, bow hunt, use a muzzle loader, and rifle hunt. He also had a love for music, tricking out his vehicles, body art, tattooing, and piercing. He was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others. He would often send pictures to his family of his newest tattoo, the cool item he had added onto his vehicle or a song they just had to listen to because it had moved him. His first tattoo was a gift from his older sister for his 18th birthday. She insisted he had to not only research its meaning but tell her what it meant to him. He called her excited that he had found the perfect tattoo. The picture he showed her was of the I-ching symbol for Chaos. He clearly stated that it was the one thing in the world he wanted to change. That Christmas his sister found a framed picture of the same symbol and gave it to him as a memento of his first piece of body art.

Anthony's interests were a common ground between he and his siblings and during a military leave to the states he and his sisters decided to share this common interest in a permanent way. After a well enjoyed night on the town the three of them decided on the design and went to have matching tattoos done. Anthony, having friends that specialized in this took his sisters to what looked like the last place anyone would want to get a tattoo. But they were quite surprised at the professionalism and by the end all three had the same tattoo etched between their shoulders, the symbol for family.

      Anthony's attitude of working to make every day better was a way of life for him. It was a philosophy that he carried and supported through his actions daily. Politically, Anthony was a republican and never wanted to see Obama in office. Though, his political views were strong, it was his attitude of making the world a better place despite the challenges people faced that was his true legacy.

      Anthony was a man who believed strongly in the right to religious freedom. He believed in equality to practice your chosen religion without fear of descrimination. While he was not a regular church goer, he believed in a higher power for all denominations. This belief made him open minded to all faiths and belief structures. Additionally, it made him accepting of others no matter what their background, belief, or creed.

      Anthony loved to travel, a trait often associated with the many family vacations of his youth. Favorite vacations included Disney world, Epcot center, Six Flags over TX, several trips to Rapid City, SD as a teenager, Winchester museum Cody, WY and trips to the Gulf Coast. He enjoyed the family drives through the country in the multiple states that he and his family lived in. One particular thing he enjoyed was walks with the family in the badlands of Wyoming hunting for arrow heads and other interesting sights. As a youth, Anthony's family often drove for vacations. He and his sisters would rotate who got the floor of the truck while the remaining two would share the seat, as it was common for their stops to be planned and have a point. His dad had a habit of ensuring that every fort, historical site, or things noteworthy of history were always on the agenda. Anthony and both of his sisters would mumble and groan as time went on, not fully appreciating their dad's enthusiasm for history. In later years, he would always smile when recalling those trips, having gained an appreciation for what his dad was trying to impart to him.

      Anthony passed away on September 6, 2013 at at home in Autaugaville, AL. He is survived by his daughter Allea Pauline Elizabeth Kellum, his son Krystyan Kellum, his parents Larry and Cindy Kellum, his older sister Rachael Fiddler her husband Bucky Fiddler and thier daughter Sidney Jade Fiddler, his younger sister Christina Rosser her husband Scott Rosser and their daughters Ashlyn Brook Kellum, Hailey Dawn Rosser and their son Tyler Lane Rosser, along with his maternal grandmother Janet McRae. In addition to his immediate family he is survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family and friends. Services were held at Ride-out Funeral Home Prattville, Alabama. Anthony was laid to rest in the National Cemetary in Montevallo, AL.

      Though he could be a private person at times, Anthony was always able and willing to give of himself. He was an amazing man who loved his children and family dearly. Anthony carried with him an almost mystical sense of life. He was a person who was highly original in his thinking and had a great love of the outdoors. A poetic and genuine person, Anthony Dean Kellum will be remembered for the indelible memory he has left on us all.

Below is a poem written by his sister Rachael and read at his funeral honoring Anthony's memory.

He, the boy I grew up with always outdoors

He, the young man never fearing life’s many doors

He, man of great worth and integrity

He, a man who defended and honored our country

He, a man I am proud to call brother a man I will always love

He, I will see again when we meet in the heavens above.

As placed on his headstone:

LOVING SON

LOVING BROTHER

LOVING FATHER

* * * * * * * * * *

Anthony Dean Kellum age 28 and a resident of Autaugaville, AL passed away September 6, 2013. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Ridout's Prattville Chapel on Wednesday September 11, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Berry Kellum officiating. His sister Rachael Fiddler will deliver the Eulogy. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Graveside services will follow at Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, AL to begin promptly at 2:45 p.m. Pallbearers will be Scott Rosser, Bucky Fiddler, Douglas Kellum Jr., Terry Kellum Jr., Stephen Kellum, and Mike Kellum.

Anthony was born at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS on November 4, 1984. As a youth he was active in both football and baseball. He was a graduate of Westwood High School in Gillette, WY Class of 2006. After high school he worked as a Welding apprentice and an Industrial Safety Specialist. In 2007 he joined the United States Army. After completing basic and AIT training, he was stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany as a Transportation Specialist (88M) with the rank of PFC (E-3). During his tour he incurred a disabling injury resulting in an honorable medical discharge from service.

Anthony's love for the outdoors was extensive. Growing up, the constant stream of creatures that he brought home kept the entire family on its toes! No one ever knew what new critter or creature he managed to catch, trap or lure to bring home. Often he could be found planning or leaving on his next big hunting or fishing adventure. He was a loving father to his children and a kind generous soul to all who knew him. His ability to turn any situation humorous and go out of his way to make those around him smile was treasured by those whose lives he touched.

Anthony is survived by his daughter Allea Pauleen Elizabeth Kellum, his son Krystyan Kellum, his parents Larry and Cindy Kellum; his older sister Rachael Fiddler her husband Bucky Fiddler and their daughter Sidney Jade Fiddler; his younger sister Christina Rosser her husband Scott Rosser and their daughters; Ashlyn Brook Kellum, Hailey Dawn Rosser and their son Tyler Lane Rosser, along with his maternal grandmother Janet McRae. In addition to his immediate family he is survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, and friends. He was an amazing man who was loved by all and will be greatly missed.

He was preceded in death by his maternal great grandparents Jack and Inez Brantley, his paternal great grandparents Amos and Daisy Mae Hunt, his paternal grandparents Harley Kellum and Maxine Williams; and his paternal uncles: Jerry Kellum and Terry Kellum.

For those wishing to make contributions to Anthony's memorial fund, this will be available on Monday September 9th after 12p.m. Contributions may also be made by check to Ridout’s Prattville Chapel. Please include Anthony's name in the memo section of check if contributing through Ridout’s. Additional information in regards to the memorial fund, services, and flower arrangements can be found online at http://www.ridoutsprattvillechapel.com/ .

To honor Anthony and his love for hunting and the outdoors, the pallbearers will wear camouflage. The family also requests that those in attendance dress casual.