08/01/2024
From Rebecca Keller-Love
There will be two memorial services for Tamera Keller-Love. The first one will be here in Illinois on August 10th at 11am at Bethel UCC, Elmhurst, IL. The second service will be held at Tam's home church in Nebraska. It will be held on September 21st at 11am at First Congregational Church of Fremont.
The following is the obituary I have written for Tamera Keller-Love:
Tamera was born on March 10, 1965 and transitioned into eternity on July 25, 2024. Tam died peacefully in her home surrounded by family and under the care of hospice. Tam and her younger brother, Stacy, grew up on their parent’s farm in Hooper, Nebraska. LeRoy and Carol Keller had their two children baptized and confirmed at Redeemer Lutheran Church, and it was there, after experiencing a young woman in the roll of youth director, that Tam felt her initial sense of call to ministry. Tam liked to boast that she learned to read at age three and the library in town couldn't keep up with her endless appetite for books. She also learned to love showing her award-winning calves at the County Fair, and her senior year she was elected the 4H Club Dodge County Queen. Tam graduated from Logan View High School in 1983 where she was active in the band and on the speech team.
Tamera graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1988 and then spent 20 years working for the State of Nebraska as a Child and Family Services Specialist, and Supervisor. Tam continued to work fulltime as she enrolled in Doane University and completed a masters in Counseling in 2001. As if working and studying weren’t enough, Tam was also appointed legal guardian of a two year old child. Tamera became Derek’s “forever mom” in 2004.
In 2012 Tamera moved to the Chicago area, married Rebecca Love and began studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary. She graduated with a Masters of Divinity in 2016. Tam was ordained to ministry with the United Church of Christ in 2017 and was called to serve part-time for a small congregation in Oak Park, Illinois. After what appeared to be a total recovery from a stroke, Tam completed a year-long chaplain residency program at Elmhurst Hospital where she took a leadership role in her CPE group. It was during the Covid 19 Pandemic, when churches and all other business were shut down, that Rebecca started noticing that Tam was not herself. An MRI of the brain showed that Tam had the early stages of Vascular Dementia. Thankfully, due to the nature of the disease, Tam never really understood what was happening to her. Her only real concern was that she be able to remain at home with Rebecca. And, of course, she continued to enjoy visits with family and was very proud of the fact that she was a grandmother!
Service was Tam’s life—whether she was serving families as a Social Worker or sharing the good news of God’s love as a teacher or preacher. She was outgoing and outspoken. You never had to wonder what Tam was thinking or feeling, and you always knew that if you had a need Tam would not hesitate to step up to try to meet the need. Tam knew how to make everyone she met feel special, gifted and loved.
