Larry Keller was an 18-year-old senior when he made East Hampton High School history with a 172-foot-7.5-inch discus toss in May 1994 that remains the school record.
Mr. Keller died on Feb. 1 of a heart attack. He was 49 and had been living in Stoddard, N.H., for the past 15 years.
Standing 6-foot-4 before he even finished high school, he worked as a bouncer in his younger years. “He was a gentle giant — my protector in every sense of the word,” his sister, Cheryl Keller Bahel, wrote in a Facebook post announcing his death. “If he wasn’t protecting you, he was throwing you out the door with a smile on his face, only to gladly let you in the next weekend. His loyalty was unmatched, just like his strength, but behind it all was the biggest, softest heart.”
“He looked out for everyone, made people feel safe without ever needing to say much, and somehow managed to be everyone’s friend at the same time.”
“He was just loved by everyone,” she added Tuesday.
Mr. Keller broke his neck in a car accident in 2009. He was paralyzed and told he would never walk again, but three months later, his sister said, “he walked out of the hospital.”
“The visualization I used with the discus, I used it in the hospital. I visualized the nerve cells repairing themselves,” Mr. Keller told The Star in 2012. He remained partially paralyzed on one side and walked with a cane or used a wheelchair, but continued to enjoy photography, fishing, and off-roading.
Intrigued by an advertisement for an all-terrain wheelchair that would make it easier for him to do the outdoor activities he loved, he became the Long Island distributor for the Action Trackchair, described in The Star as “a cross between a conventional wheelchair and a small tank.”
Lawrence John Keller Jr. was born in Southampton on May 14, 1976, to Lawrence Keller and the former Constance Smith. He grew up in Montauk, graduating from the Montauk School before East Hampton High, where he was not only a standout on the track team but also played football. He went on to Northeastern University in Boston.
In addition to his sister, who lives in East Hampton, Mr. Keller is survived by his life partner, Sharyn Marks of New Hampshire, his mother, who lives in Montauk, two nephews, Jackson and James Bahel of East Hampton, and a cousin, Richard King of Montauk, and Mr. King’s family.
A service will be held on Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. at the Montauk Community Church, the Rev. Bill Hoffmann officiating. A celebration of his life will follow at 4 p.m. at the Montauket restaurant.
