Vera Elizabeth Woolley Keller, 80, was born November 5, 1937 in Gadsden, AL. She passed from this world after an extended illness on March 17, 2018. Ms. Keller completed her B.S. degree at Jacksonville State University, where she was a member of “Marching Ballerina”. Her Master’s in Education was completed at Peabody College/Vanderbilt University.
Her teaching career spanned four decades from the early 1960s to the late 1990s. The vast majority of that time was spent at Hazel Green High School, where she retired in 1998.
At Hazel Green, she founded the group SHOTS, Students Helping Others To Succeed, that launched multiple community service opportunities for High School kids with a central focus on assistance for the Special Needs population.
Ms. Keller LOVED sports! She was a certified weight-lifting coach for Special Olympics, where she coached her Down Syndrome son, Bubba, to a gold medal in the 1995 International Special Olympics in New Haven, CT.
Ms. Keller was a member of First Baptist Church of Meridianville, a Jacksonville State University Lifetime Alumni, a Lifetime member of Madison County Retired Educators Association, and a volunteer/coach/chaperone for Special Olympics for 40 years.
Ms. Keller was preceded in death by her parents Mr. W.O. Woolley and Virginia Audrey Watson Woolley. She is survived by two daughters, Suzanne Keller League and Beth Keller Salomonsky (“Sal”); son Anton J. Keller, Jr. aka “Bubba”; two grandsons, Blake W. League (Suzanne) and Ashly B. Salomonsky (Heather); granddaughter Alex Salomonsky-Corbin (Jon); great-grandson Knox Alexander Corbin; great-granddaughter Mycal Elizabeth Corbinand; and sister Reba Woolley Stewart (Randall).
Visitation will be Wednesday, March 21st from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. at Berryhill Funeral Home followed by a 2:30 service with Rev. Tommy Bolan officiating. Pallbearers will be Blake W. League, Ashly Salomonsky, Michael Salomonsky, Ronnie League, Jimmy Douglas, and Marcus Crutcher. Burial will be at Valhalla Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to: Madison County Special Olympics; Attn: Kay Scott; 2095 Scott Rd.; Hazel Green, AL 35750.
