In the early summer of 2016, Science and Alternative Program teacher Brian Keller began experiencing headaches and vision changes. After passing his neurological exam and scheduling a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), he then visited an ophthalmologist. 

At his ophthalmology appointment, a lined piece of paper was held up to his eyes. After claiming that the straight, grid lined paper appeared wavy to his eyesight, doctors knew something was not right. After being taken to the Emergency Room (ER), he was given a CT scan which then revealed a baseball sized tumor in his brain. This then began Keller’s eight-year battle with an Atypical Choroid Plexus Papilloma brain tumor. 

“He was happy to go to work and have his routine,” his wife Audrey Keller said in an interview with LION. “[Work] very much gave him a routine. When you’re diagnosed with [a life-threatening condition], your heart and life stop for a moment, but a routine can be comforting. He loved his colleagues and the community at LT and he really enjoyed being with students.”

That same year, Keller underwent his first craniotomy, where surgeons made the discovery that his tumor was, at the time, a benign papilloma (a non-cancerous, slow growing tumor that originates in a tissue within the brain). Keller had responded well to surgery, until a few months later, when it was discovered that his incision and the bone underneath the incision were infected. After another surgery, he began healing and all seemed well. That was until a few years later, in December of 2018, when the roots of his tumor had regrown, this time moving up from being a benign tumor to an atypical tumor. 

From then on, Keller’s life consisted of countless surgeries and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) visits, proton therapy to combat regrowing tumors, and chemotherapy. Though this battle was long and not easy, he never lost his sense of living his life to the fullest and caring deeply for his loved ones. On Feb. 14, 2025, Brian Keller passed away at age 43, surrounded by the outpouring love of his wife. 

“Brian was somebody who lived in the moment,” his wife said. “He was always thinking ‘why do you go through treatment? So you can live.’ ‘Why do you go through chemo? Because you still want that time with your family, you want to live.’ He was all about living life. He enjoyed his job, he enjoyed being a teacher. He loved helping kids, especially the ones that were struggling. He always found ways to help them out and be successful. [But] he was always one to leave work at work; he prioritized family.”

Keller and his extended family have lived in the community for years. He began working at LT in 2007 and taught both in the Science Department and the Alternative Program. He also worked alongside friend and colleague Jeremy Vrtis: they would combine Vrtis’s Geometry class and Keller’s Physics class to do various projects together involving both math and science. 

“He was the type of guy who saw the positive aspects of every student,” Vrtis said. “He was always one of those teachers that definitely could handle a challenging kid because he could see that even if a student was difficult in class, that issue might not have been with that class specifically. He always wanted kids to have a love of science but also realized that he needed to make connections with kids. He was very good with relating students’ interests to science. He loved teaching and he always identified himself as a teacher. He loved to bring science to the classroom. He was extremely smart.”

Keller was not only a dedicated teacher but was also determined to build friendships with his colleagues outside of the classroom. At the annual LT staff Christmas parties, staff members would bring their kids and Keller would dress up as Santa Claus, knowing all of their kids’ names. For Halloween, he also dressed up with his colleagues as CareBears, Minions, 1950’s Greasers, and one year, as the Blues Brothers with Vrtis.  

“LT was very much a part of his life and being a teacher was a part of his life,” Vrtis said. “So I think the connections between the community and the school were something that he always valued. He always had a good feel for how much LT is a part of the LaGrange area and he was proud of that.”

Keller not only cared about making connections with his fellow staff members and students, but he also valued spending as much time as he could with his family. One of his hobbies included travelling alongside his wife, whether it was camping, hiking or travelling internationally. One place they cherished visiting was his family’s lakehouse in Wisconsin. 

Near the family home was a lighthouse. The couple would make the hike down the quarter-mile long pier to the lighthouse to watch the sunset almost every night. His wife also recalls the time they both went swimming with elephants in Thailand, where an elephant unexpectedly scooped Keller up and tossed him back into the water. 

“We were never the couple to argue,” his wife said. “We were always very rational. We very much had a loving relationship. He was my person, I was his. For him, everything was done as a family. If he had vacation time and I had vacation time, he wanted me there. We would even go grocery shopping together. Anything, if he could, he would want to do it together.”

On Friday, Feb. 28, friends and family of Keller gathered at one of his favorite spots, Imperial Oak Brewery in Brookfield, where they shared stories, memories, and photos of Keller to not only celebrate his life, but to help his 3-year-old, Bruce, gain a deeper understanding of who his father was. On Thursday, Feb. 27, LT staff members wore superhero shirts to school to honor Keller and his love for DC Comics and superheroes. Others wore grey shirts, the color for awareness of brain conditions, including brain tumors. 

“[What I think others will learn from Brian is to] make sure whatever you do in life is what you want to do,” his wife said. “Life is short; make sure you enjoy it and take time for yourself. In this day and age, you can be pushed to be a workaholic, and we only have one life, so make sure you enjoy your family and friends. Whatever you decide to do in life, be passionate about it. If something sounds interesting, go do it. There’s no time like the present.”