Trent Loren Keller

Trent was born to Loren and Donna Keller on September 11, 1943, in Preston, Idaho. He was the second to youngest of five children in the Keller clan. Trent spent his childhood years growing up in the Minkcreek, Idaho area. Depending on your perspective, he and two of his brothers, Ed and Ray, would have many adventures (or misadventures) in the vast wilderness of Minkcreek.

After Trent graduated from Preston High School, he enlisted in the US Air Force. While in the Air Force, he met the first love of his life, Sheran Keller. During this time, Trent and Sheran became proud parents of two boys, Keith and Kevin. Trent retired from the US Air Force as a Master Sergeant (MSgt) in 1982 at Hill AFB and continued working as a civilian there until he retired in 1995.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck in February 1998. His wife Sheran passed away. Trent met the second love of his life, Viola, in 2000. Trent married Viola in 2001 after being impressed by how she cooked his favorite dish, Ham Hock and Beans.

In 2008, Trent became a grandpa to Kobe and again to Kyle four years later. Trent enjoyed spending time with his grandkids; his hugs always made them feel better. Kobe and Kyle always looked forward to having weekend lunch with their grandpa to share their stories of adventures and perils of the week before.

Prior to settling in Utah, Trent, my mother Sheran (Katherine Mohrhauser descendant of Emmett Morhhauser, 1913-1989, and Lucy L. Schoenherr (Morhhauser), 1914-1997), my brother Kevin and I, Keith, shared many adventures as an Air Force family. As a small child, I, Keith, did not fully appreciate the sacrifice and courage it took for my father to provide care and love to his family while serving our great nation during the perilous time of the Cold War Era. Little did we know that my father served as one of the Air Forces elite members of the then very secretive Air Force Security Service, working diligently in radio listening posts all over the world to help keep our nation’s foes in check.

Beyond Trent's service to his country was his constant devotion to his family. Our travels as a family were far and wide—a story worthy of the greatest novels. Some of the great places our family visited included: Omaha, Nebraska: I, Keith, was not born yet, but my father and mother met and fell in love in the heartland of America, eventually marrying in Elko, Nevada in 1966. Anchorage, Alaska: For most people, an icebox, but for my dad, Alaska was an outdoorsman’s paradise. My father had many fishing adventures and grand tales of salmon fishing in the great North. I, Keith, appeared on the scene here—a young man—my Dad—welcomed his first child to the world in the middle of winter in the coldest state in the Union. Pensacola, Florida: Dad attended Air Force technical training, and we enjoyed the white sand beaches and sun of Florida, but we also survived the wrath of Hurricane Camille while in Florida. Dad kept his family safe throughout the wind and water.

Darmstadt, Germany: Dads first foreign assignment and his first time away from the United States. Dad continued his fishing and hunting adventures in Germany, all while taking Mom and me on trips throughout Germany to see ancient castles and to visit the snow-covered German Alps in Garmisch. Somewhere along the line, Dad bought a red Volkswagen Beetle car—a cheap but reliable mode of transportation for a young Airman and his family. Dad drove Mom and me (Keith) in that red Beetle across Europe, through Switzerland and France, and into his next

assignment in Madrid, Spain.

Madrid, Spain: In the lovely and sunny country of Spain, my dad continued his outdoor adventures in fishing and hunting. We visited many beautiful parks in Spain. My Dad demonstrated his knowledge and care of horses by helping a local equestrian ranch care for some horses that were not getting proper feed—he helped the ranch owners get their horses back to good health. Dad got orders to our next family adventure—Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Cheyenne, Wyoming: Dad delivered our family safely back in the United States and much closer to his family in Southern Idaho and Wyoming. Antelope hunting and trout fishing were Dad’s passions here. Our family was blessed when Mom delivered a bundle of joy—their second son and my new baby brother Kevin—to the family. Mom, Dad, and I, Keith, could not be happier when Kevin arrived on the scene. From the exotic locale of Cheyenne, my dad got orders to the

distant and mysterious island of Crete, Greece, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

The island of Crete, Greece: On Crete, we lived in an apartment in a small fishing village called. Hersonissos. No place could be as different from Wyoming, but true to form, my Dad took up fishing—this time on the ocean. Dad took Mom, Kevin, and me all over Crete, and we visited many ancient Greek archaeological sites. From Crete, we took a ferry ship across the Adriatic Sea to Italy.

San Vito, Italy: In Italy, we experienced Italian culture and cuisine firsthand. We lived in a small village house and then moved on to base housing. Dad kept up his outdoor adventures, and we had many family trips across Southern Italy. From Italy, Dad again got orders to the States, and we flew and then drove across the country in a newly acquired green Ford Pinto Station Wagon all the way to the Golden State of California. Sacramento, California: Back in the United States, Dad now had Steelhead Trout and salmon in the American River to go after—and he was successful on many occasions. Mom, Dad, Kevin, and I, Keith, went on many car trips throughout the surrounding Sierra Nevada area. Dad received his final duty assignment in his most favored locale.

And finally, Layton, Utah: We settled in Layton as my Dad worked at Hill Air Force Base. He retired from the Air Force but continued his service to the country by working as a civil servant. Here in Utah, Dad was in his element. The Wasatch Mountains and the trout and deer therein were no match for Dad—whenever we had the chance, Dad would take Mom, Kevin, and me fishing or camping, and he was lovingly patient enough to teach me, Keith, how to ski. At any moment, if someone in the community needed help, Dad would come to assist—he wouldn’t

just talk; he would take action.

Dad, Kevin and I all enjoyed Mom’s (Sheran) cooking, with Dad’s fresh-caught trout being one of our favorites. During Thanksgiving and Christmas, Dad and we loved Mom’s turkey, ham and trimmings—a fond family memory.

Another great family memory of Dad was when Dad, Mom, and Kevin came to visit me (Keith) to Hawaii while I was stationed at Wheeler Army Airfield on Oahu, and we were together as a family for a vacation in Hawaii.

Trent knew he was a descendant of James Morgan Keller (real name: Jens Mogensen Kjøller from Bornholm, Denmark, 1827-1903). His daughter-in-law, Gemma, loved to work on the family tree and always liked to send Dad a lot of e-mails. Gemma would tell Dad about all his ancestors from several branches of the family tree besides his Mormon ancestry and tell him he was a descendant of other Europeans from other countries. Trent is a descendant of some Mormon pioneers--Jens Mogensen Kjøller and Ane Kirstine Larsen (Kjøller) born in Hovedstaden, Denmark (1843-1924) and also a descendant of Joseph Harrison (Tippetts), (1814-1868,) and Amanda Melvina Perry (Tippetts), (1821-1864).

An odyssey and a life well-lived, to be sure. My father lived by his example—he served his country honorably for twenty years, lovingly raised a family, cared deeply for his friends, and enjoyed the outdoors immensely. He will be missed.

I, Keith, received the last text message from my Dad on Thanksgiving day saying: “Tell Gemma happy B day for us. Be safe love ya Dad. Days like today I really miss your mother.”

Finally, although our Dad’s passing is profoundly painful, I, Keith, know that my father is now with my mother, his father, his mother, his brothers, and his sister t together in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Trent is survived by his second wife, Viola Keller; two sons, Keith (Gemma Augusto) Keller and Kevin (Sunadta) Keller; two grandsons, Kobe and Kyle; stepchildren Shirley Allen, Donald (Lisa) Low, Clinton (Donna) Costello, Sonja (Mickey) Daich and Dixie Weinman. He was preceded in death by his father, Loren, his mother, Donna, His siter, Ada, his brothers, Steve, Ed, and Ray, and his first wife, Sheran.

A graveside service will be held T 11 a.m. on Monday, December 4, 2023 at the Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park, 17111 South Camp Williams rd., Bluffdale, Utah. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.