John Steven Keller, "BOSS" 69, passed away on January 28, 2025, at St. John's Hospital in Springfield Illinois. Born on August 24, 1955, in Springfield, John spent his life dedicated to his family, friends, career, and community.

John is survived by his daughters Amy Summers of Tampa, Florida, Kristy Harris (Robert) of Lakeland, Florida, his longtime girlfriend Kathy Alexander of Springfield, Brother Robert E. Keller (Connie) of Springfield, Sisters Mary E. Graves (Bill) of Riverton, Shirley M. Goldsberry (Jim) of Springfield, and Nancy A. Hopper (Ken) of Springfield; his Grandchildren Tiffany and Kimberly of Brandon Fl. Great-grandchildren Skylaar, Willow, and River; nieces Cheri, Lori, Stacy, Sharon, Jamie. nephews, Chris, Jimmy, David, Jason, Joe, several cousins, extended family, and friends.

John was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Freda Keller, Sister Sharon (5 weeks), Brother Gary (12 Years), Niece Pam Graves, his beloved uncle John "Unk" Keller, and his stepson Brian Guinn.

John attended McClernand Elementary school. When he was 6 years old in the 1st grade, the school was struck by a tornado on April 30, 1962, leading to the untimely death of his 12-year older brother Gary Keller.  After McClernand, John attended Bunn Elementary, Edison Middle school and was a proud graduate of Lanphier High School.

John married Tammy Hart in 1975, and they had two daughters, Amy and Kristy. In 1984, John was divorced and later started a relationship with Diane Guinn and they were together for many years, and he helped raise her three children, Billy, Corrina and Brian Guinn of Springfield. After their relationship ended, John found love again in 2007, when he met Kathy Alexander. They have remained happily together until his passing.

John started working at Borden Chemical after he graduated high school. He got a job working as a caterer at the Prairie Capital Convention center, and in 1984, he founded Knight Construction, a business that became a testament to his dedication and work ethic.  Success followed as a licensed contractor, he took immense pride in the quality of his work and instilled the same values in his employees. He firmly believed that hard work was good for you, and it built character and lived by that principle throughout his career.

Beyond his professional life, John had a deep love for music. He was a self-taught musician at a young age, he was a master drummer, he played guitar and wrote songs and eventually started a band.  He continued to play his drums until his passing. His passion for rock music was unwavering—he was an avid fan of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Who, Rush, Nirvana and Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, His time working at the Prairie Capital Convention center allowed him to meet many famous bands while working as a caterer and assisting with warm-up shows before performances.  John was very charismatic and was friends with everyone. Once you became John's friend, you were his friend for life. John campaigned for many of his north end friends and was friends with multiple mayors, governors, and other politicians. John didn't know a stranger he had friends in all walks of life, was very outgoing and treated everyone with kindness and respect. John was rich in friends and was still friends with his childhood buddies Bill, Mike, John, Larry, Tom, and too many others to list.

John also had a strong sense of community. In the 1990s, he founded the Pillsbury Mill Neighborhood Association and served as its president until his passing. He was a life-long north ender, and he worked tirelessly to improve the neighborhood and collaborated with city officials on the "Moving Pillsbury Forward Project" to advocate for the removal of the abandoned mill. His vision was to see new businesses thrive and bring renewed life to the area. Thanks to John's hard work and dedication, Moving Pillsbury Forward has raised 9 million dollars in commitments and is looking ahead to a large-scale demolition and renewal.

A man of many interests, John had a passion for classic muscle cars, particularly Mustangs. He also enjoyed sharing knowledge with his family and friends and often recounted stories about historical figures, battleships, and warplanes. His patriotism was evident in his admiration for the U.S. military, influenced by his uncle John's time in the service. John was a Rock Star, Master Drummer, Comedian, Business owner, Big Fish, Politician, Teacher, History Buff, Chef, Doctor, Hero, Dad.

John was raised with Christian beliefs, and he held a strong belief in the afterlife and considered himself fortunate after experiencing several near-death encounters.  John was very grateful for the doctors, nurses, EMT's and home health staff who helped him from St. John's Hospital, Memorial Hospital, and particularly Barnes Jewish Hospital. He was grateful for every day of his life and really appreciated all of his wonderful nurses who took great care of him and kept him stocked up with milk and Popsicles! A very special Thank You and much gratitude to Dr. Martinek at Springfield Clinic, Dr. Justin Hartupee; Barnes Jewish Hospital. Dr. Vivek Hansalia, Barnes Jewish Hospital.

A viewing of John will be held on March 5, 2025, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Ellinger-Kunz & Park Funeral Home, located at 530 N 5th Street in Springfield. A cremation and memorial service will take place on March 6, 2025, at Ellinger-Kunz & Park Funeral Home at 10:30 AM followed by a funeral procession. The funeral will take John on one last ride through the Pillsbury Mill neighborhood, leaving the funeral home on 5th Street, it will proceed to Enterprise Street then to 15th Street in front of Pillsbury Mill, then down Division St to 11th Street, and will pass by John's childhood home on 11th Street, then to North Grand. It will end at Oak Ridge Cemetery, 1441 Monument Avenue in Springfield, followed by burial of the urn and then one hour later, we will have a Potluck Celebration of Life will be held at the Grandview Municipal building at 1620 N. Milton Ave. Springfield, IL 62702 from 1-7 pm everyone is welcome

"A man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way he becomes immortal."