A great lady has left us
There was no more room at Rockmart United Methodist Church on Sunday, June 5. You had to stand in the vestibule if you were a minute late to Ann Keller’s funeral.
Folks from all over had come to say a final goodbye to a lady who meant so much to an entire community and beyond that.
I don’t suppose those outside Rockmart can understand how much of an impact Ann Keller had on the people who live there.
Miss Keller wasn’t a politician or a businesswoman. She didn’t hold any public office or seek out popularity or fame. And yet, at the news of her passing a few days ago, I know that a deep sadness was felt throughout Polk County and beyond.
At the funeral, as attendants were asked to say something about their interaction with Miss Keller, it was obvious why she was so beloved. Everyone spoke of how she made each one of them feel incredibly loved and genuinely cared about. Each had the most touching interactions with her.
She truly had a gift for making those around her feel loved.
When I met Miss Keller years ago, it was because she called me after reading one of my columns. We had a long conversation that day and since then she’s called me almost every week to tell me she loved this week’s column and to say “I think it was your best one yet.”
She was a huge Auburn fan. Miss Keller attended Auburn University, was a majorette there and met the love of her life, Bill Keller, who played football for Auburn. She was also a big Braves fan and a devoted Rockmart High School sports fan. She retired as an educator for Polk School District after teaching 5th grade for 30 years.
We talked about so many things over the years of our friendship, and even when I didn’t see her for a while she always kept checking in to make sure I knew how much she cared and that she read the newspaper religiously and always made sure to read my column.
It’s truly a gift to have the ability to make someone else feel so special. I think she did this for everyone she knew. And she did it the old fashioned way — with warmth and kindness and a genuine concern.
And her family knew how special she was. I think they knew they shared Miss Keller with all of Rockmart. They did it very graciously. She was their mother and their Gran, but they were kind enough to let hundreds of other people believe that Miss Keller was also somehow THEIR mother and THEIR gran too.
She always sat in the same pew at Rockmart United Methodist Church, and from that spot, Miss Keller quietly set an example of how we should treat other people. To look at her was to feel unconditional love. And if you had the honor of holding her soft, warm hands, then you knew what it was to be reassured and have your spirits lifted.
To hear people speak about their relationships with her is to know that she treated everyone the same. Because everyone thought THEY were Miss Keller’s most special friend. Everyone thought that THEY were cared for the most by Miss Keller. Everyone thought that somehow THEY got the unique privilege of basking in her attention.
But they’re all wrong and they’re all right.
Because Miss Keller’s magic was that she made a place in her heart for everyone. Lord knows how one woman had so much room for so much love for so many people.
I know this sounds like I’m exaggerating because she was my friend. But while all death is keenly felt in one way or another, there are times when the passing of someone feels like a much greater loss than most. That’s what it feels like right now and I know there are others who agree with me. It feels like a big, iconic structure we’re used to seeing every day has been torn down.
It feels a bit like the evening star has disappeared from the sky.
Ann Keller was a great lady indeed. And this world is a little less bright for not having her in it.