Dr. Jay E. Keller died on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at 110 years old. He was born on June 3, 1916, in Albany, N.Y. Jay was moved to Vermont at age 9 and lived in the Donnelly Boarding House. Jay attended Burlington schools, graduating salutatorian from Cathedral High in 1934. After an accelerated undergraduate degree, Jay earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1940.
Five days later, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Burlington, Jay married Pauline Cecilia Murphy, whom he met at the cathedral. Pauline predeceased Jay on August 15, 1992, after 52 years of marriage and eight children.
Jay later married Marie DiCiaccio in St. John Vianney Church in South Burlington on February 6, 1999. Marie died on January 28, 2024, at age 104.
In 1941, after completing a year of residency, Jay enlisted in the U.S. Army. In 1943, he was given an honorable discharge from the service for a medical condition and returned to Essex Junction, where he had a general practice of medicine. After the war, Jay trained in New York City as a surgeon and returned to Vermont as a general surgeon and eventually as a partner in Keller, Cain and Shea, and finally as a member of the Surgical Associates of the University Health Center. He retired in 1983 at age 67.
Jay was an active member of St. John Vianney Parish in South Burlington, the Ethan Allen Club and the Burlington Country Club. He was a blood donor and volunteer at the Red Cross. Jay also volunteered at the Hospice of Champlain Valley and was selected as volunteer of the year in 1997. Jay also volunteered for Meals on Wheels and in the repair shop at the Shelburne Museum. Jay was a guide at the Shelburne Museum for 22 years. He often greeted museum attendees on the Ticonderoga lake cruiser, the same boat he worked on as a deckhand when he was a teenager.
At 102, Jay moved into the independent living section of the Residence at Shelburne Bay, where he stayed until his death over seven years later.
Dr. Keller is survived by his eight children, their spouses and their families: Dr. David (Natalie) Keller, Dolores (Robert) Luke, Patricia (David [deceased 2000]) Baker, Michael (Dolly [deceased 2012]) Keller, Marilyn Keller (Sean Gilligan), Mark (Brenda Pitmon) Keller, Pauline (Charles) Clark and Timothy (Chaoxia Cheng) Keller. Jay has 18 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren.
Dr. Keller is predeceased by two sisters: May Keller Russell and Frances Keller Brown.
Gifts in his memory may be directed to the Inspire a Life Fund at Rice Memorial High School, 99 Proctor Ave., South Burlington, VT 05403, or to UVM College of Medicine Development and Alumni Relations, 61 Summit St., Burlington, VT 05405 (802-656-4014).
A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 11 a.m., at St. Catherine of Siena church in Shelburne. LaVigne Funeral Home is handling arrangements. To send condolences to his family, please visit vtfuneralhomes.com.
This article appears in July 15 • 2026.