Remembering Wesley Keller

March 26, 2014 · 0 Comments

On Saturday, March 22nd, Shelburne and Orangeville lost a good friend.

My reporter, friend, confidant, mentor and ally, Wesley Keller passed away suddenly in his home.

Succumbing to a stroke, this veteran reporter will be missed by many, and many of his reader and friends have already stopped by our office on Main Street, Shelburne, to offer their condolences.

I met Wes for the first time almost a year ago. After being named the editor, I went to Shelburne in an effort to get to know the residents, streetscapes and policy makers. Wes was my guide.

We went to the local insurance company, the police station, Town Hall, the quilting store and the coffee shop. Wes was quite the charmer and he smiled a lot as we walked up and down the street.

I didn’t see Wes again for a few months. He was in the office, visiting our administrator, Debbie, when I popped in to take a picture of a contest winner. He was wearing a suit jacket and dress pants and was still smiling.

I never saw Wes again.

I did, however, talk to him every week – sometimes many times. He’d call me to say that he was working on a story, or had a revision coming, or that he was waiting on a call back that would make a story more detailed. Sometimes I took his calls, often I did not. I regret that. I’d let him leave a voicemail, and then I’d send him an e-mail reply. My fingers can produce words quicker than my mouth, and there was less room for “small talk”.

When I did answer the phone, I always had a pleasant conversation with Wes. He came to know me – and my reluctance to answer calls – and so, when I did, he would keep it short and to the point, as if to say, “I know you’re busy so I won’t keep you”. When it was time to hang up, he’d always say “bye”, with a smile. I could hear it in his tone.

Wes was also the person I’d go to when I needed advice. Should I print this? Will this get us into trouble? Can you pull out the key points in this for me? A fountain of knowledge, Wes knew the background of so many things that he often would reply immediately. No research required.

I remember once I sent him a column that had been sent to me for publication. It was an excellent opinion piece on multiculturalism. Within minutes Wes got back to me and said, “Don’t run this, I saw this in the Washington Post a few months back”. Who else, but Wesley Keller, would catch such a thing?

The Shelburne Free Press and the Orangeville Citizen have lost a dear, loyal friend.

I have a space in my heart and a space in my paper this week – Wes, where are the five stories you promised me today?

Rest in peace Wes. I hope that one day I will write with your eloquence, understand issues with your scope of knowledge and see the world as you did, although I will never have your sparkling blue eyes.

Rest in peace,

From your family at the Shelburne Free Press and

Orangeville Citizen

By Wendy Gabrek