Philip Keller

Weldon Phillip Keller was born in Kisumu, Kenya, on November 28, 1920. His mother, Marian Weller, a brave, Godly young woman, had come with her husband to Africa as a missionary before the First World War (WWI). When her young husband died after drinking contaminated water, she courageously remained in Africa, living among the tribal people and immersing herself in their language. The outbreak of global war cut off any communication between her and her native Canada, and she continued her work in Africa.

After the war, Otto Keller, a friend of Marian’s deceased husband, made the journey to Africa for the cause to spread the Gospel. Otto and Marian soon married, and the Lord blessed them with a son, Weldon Phillip Keller, in the fall of 1920.

Otto Keller was a dedicated missionary of sturdy Swiss heritage. He saw his task as a missionary to be broader than meeting the purely spiritual needs of the African people that he loved. He understood that better land management, better farming practices, and faithful conservation of Africa’s tremendous natural resources would prove to be a lasting benefit to the people of Kenya.

His son, Phillip Keller, grew up among the Africans. The boy learned their language. He learned to stalk gazelles on the savanna. He knew the ways of the elephant, the rhinoceros, and the lion. He loved the sun-drenched plains of his native land. Young Keller was educated at a boarding school in the highlands of Kenya.