Charles William Keller
July 20, 1938 - June 1, 2025
Dr. Charles (“Chuck”) William Keller, aged 86, of Lubbock, Texas, passed away on June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado. Born on July 20, 1938, in Del Rio, Texas, he was the only son of Terrell and Lee Lorance Keller and the youngest of six siblings.
Chuck graduated from Del Rio High School in 1956 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in 1960. During his senior year, he worked as a disc jockey at Chicago’s WKFM radio station. From 1960 to 1964, Chuck served as Program Director at KENS, the Express-News country music station in San Antonio, then the largest country station in the nation. He continued his education, earning an M.S. from Trinity University in 1965, followed by a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Texas Tech University in 1971.
He began his career at Texas Tech, where he served as Director of the University Counseling Center from 1969 to 1973. Chuck then dedicated 50 years to private practice as a clinical psychologist, where his deep compassion and commitment profoundly impacted countless patients.
In 1963, Chuck married Judith Anne Palm in San Antonio. Together, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on March 30, 2023. Judith, a professor of Speech Pathology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, passed away earlier this year on February 6, 2025. The couple shared a passion for travel, visiting 45 countries and nearly every state in the U.S. Chuck also cherished time spent at their beloved ranch, the “Lazy K,” near Southland, Texas, where he and his sons enjoyed horseback riding, dirt biking, and fishing.
A devoted father, Chuck took immense pride in the accomplishments of his sons. David Keller is an archaeologist and historian in Alpine, Texas and the author of three books. Matthew Keller is a professor and Director of the Institute for Behavioral Genetics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a widely published researcher in behavioral genetics.
Chuck was preceded in death by his parents, his five sisters, and his wife, Judith. He is survived by his sons, David and Matt, along with Matt’s wife Kim and their children, Julia (age 12) and James (age 10).
A funeral service and reception will be held at St. Paul’s on-the-Plains Episcopal Church, 1610 Avenue X, Lubbock, on Saturday, July 19, at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the PFLAG chapter of Lubbock (https://pflaglubbock.org) or the Judith P. Keller Scholarship through the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (https://tshfoundation.salsalabs.org/oceansmultistepeoy - select Scholarship: Judith Keller Fund). Online condolences may be made at https://www.beatreecremation.com/obituaries.
Donations
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the PFLAG chapter of Lubbock or the Judith P. Keller Scholarship through the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (select Scholarship: Judith Keller Fund).
Memorial Service
Saturday, July 19, 2025
2:00 pm
St. Paul’s on-the-Plains Episcopal Church
1610 Avenue X, Lubbock, TX, 79401