Ruth Sharp Keller

Ruth Anna Sharp Keller, age 87 of Petersburg died March 6, 2017 at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Northern Virginia. She was born in Washington, D.C., a daughter of the late COL Turner R. Sharp, U.S. Army and Ruth Marshall Sharp. Her early life as an Army dependent was characterized by frequent moves to varied locales around the world, including Brooklyn, New York, San Francisco, and two tours in the Philippine Islands prior to World War II. The family was evacuated two months prior to the Japanese invasion. She resided in Boundbrook, New Jersey, where she was a drum majorette with the high school band. Subsequently, upon her father’s return from duty in the European and African Theaters, she lived in the Commandant’s residence at Bellwood Supply Depot near Richmond, Virginia. She attended Roanoke College for one year, and then moved to Philadelphia with her parents at her father’s new post. She married Lieutenant Carl B. Keller of Winchester, Virginia and resumed frequent moves as an Army wife, mother of three, and homemaker. The family resided all over the world, from Petersburg, Virginia, to Fort Ord, California; El Paso, Texas; Sendai, Japan; Columbus, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; West Germany; and Leavenworth, Kansas. She finally settled in Petersburg, Virginia for the next 50 years. Ruth lived through three wars, first as a daughter while her father fought in WWII and then as a very young wife with two tiny children while her husband fought in Korea. When Carl was called again to serve in a war zone, Vietnam, in 1967, Ruth took a job as a bank teller. She felt that, in order to hold the center for her family of three children and a husband serving in a war far away, it was important for her to learn something new and to occupy herself with others. Ruth took an interest in her customers, many of whom were young Army families. She shared her experience and her newly acquired knowledge and guided them through the hurdles young Army families’ face, such as buying a car for the first time. Ruth was mother and father to her three children during that difficult year, 67/68 that Carl served in Vietnam. A life-long learner, Ruth pursued knowledge through travel around the world and reading literally thousands of books. She resumed her formal education at Richard Bland College, earning an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. As an avid early adopter of technology, she acquired, assembled, and administered a microcomputer and software (before Microsoft made it easy) to support the real estate brokerage she co-founded with her husband Carl. Their collaboration helped him with the difficult transition to civilian life following retirement. Her additional roles in Keller Realty included keeping the books and acting as a highly successful agent and broker. Her computer savvy evolved with technological progress to include social media and e mail, all on home computer systems she personally set up and upgraded. Ruth engaged in many and varied service and social organizations in the community, most prominently with multiple leadership roles in the St. Mark’s United Methodist Women, Mary Ruth Circle, and the Altar Guild. She served as a board member of the Ft. Hayes Condominium Board culminating in the Presidency. She was Secretary of the Cockade City Garden Club, and an active member of the Woman’s Club of Petersburg (book club with a century-long history). She was a voracious reader, and enjoyed providing the club with critical summaries of many books over the years. She also enjoyed playing bridge, with several long-standing groups. She is survived by her children, Stephen R. Keller (Barbara), Eileen Keller (Craig Williams), and Suzanne Keller (Jan Hampton), two cherished granddaughters, Meredith Keller and Lauren Keller Shue (Jeffrey), and beloved great-granddaughters, Jackie and Ashley Shue, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Carl B. Keller, Jr., and her brother Turner R. Sharp, Jr.
The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at the Petersburg Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home. A funeral service will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 10, 2017 at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 225 Claremont St., Petersburg, VA 23805. Interment will be held at 2:00 p.m. at Southlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to FeedMore, 1415 Rhoadmiller St. Richmond, VA. 23220., or to St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 225 Claremont Street, Petersburg, Virginia 23805. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com .