Ruth Mildred Keller, 85 years, of Fort Madison, Iowa and formerly of Eureka, Illinois died at 10:25 pm Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at the Fort Madison Health Center, Fort Madison, Iowa. She was born March 7, 1927 at Eureka, Illinois, a daughter of Ezra B. and Carrie (Good) Yordy. On December 25, 1950, she married Robert Wayne Keller at the home of her parents, a farm house in the Eureka area, officiated by her father, who was a Mennonite Bishop and farmer. He preceded her in death in 1997.

Ruth was a medical surgical nurse at the Palm Harbor Hospital in Garden Grove, California, retiring in 1993. She worked mostly with cancer and AIDS patients. In 1955 and 1956, she taught nursing at the Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago. After retiring, she traveled with her husband, who did hospital surveys for the Joint Commission of Hospital Accreditation. She was raised Mennonite, attended the Presbyterian Church after 1958, and liked the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. In 1997, she moved back to Eureka, Illinois. She was a member of the Roanoke Mennonite Church, in Roanoke, Illinois.

She is survived by two sons, David Wenger-Keller, MD, of Fort Madison, Iowa and Steven Keller, Carlsbad, California; one brother, Maurice Yordy, of Eureka, Illinois; two sisters, Dorothy Yordy and Alta Graber, both of Eureka, Illinois; four grandchildren; and seven great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and two sisters, Florence Schrock and Ethel Troyer.

The body of Mrs. Keller has been cremated. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, April 28, 2012 at the Maple Lawn Chapel, in Eureka, Illinois. A memorial has been established for Habitat For Humanity, contributions may be made at the Barr Memorial Chapel or at the Maple Lawn Chapel on the day of the service.