Pearl J. (Josephson) Keller

Pearl Josephson Keller passed away on October 2, 2019 in Brighton, MA. She was 95. Her parents were Israel and Lorena (Gan) Josephson, both immigrants from Lithuania. She is predeceased by her husband, Seymour P. Keller, a physicist who worked at IBM, and brothers Neil and Kenneth. Pearl is survived by her four children, Jan Schultz (Howard), David (Mary), Richard, and Lisa Lee (Daniel), by six grandchildren, Peri, Michael, Daniel, Saskia, Olivia, and Jonathan, and by four great-grandchildren.

Pearl lived in Chappaqua, NY for nearly 50 years. In 2007, she and Seymour moved to the Boston area to be closer to their children.

Pearl was born and raised in Holyoke, MA. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in piano from Yale University in 1947. After graduation, she spent a year teaching piano at the Perkins School for the Blind. She was an accomplished pianist, painter, athlete, political volunteer, gardener, and bowling columnist.

She was a trailblazer for women's participation in sports and sports writing. In addition to being the only girl on her junior high school baseball team in Holyoke, she was also the team captain and a starting pitcher. She founded the Woman's All-Star Association, an organization dedicated to professional women bowlers. A longtime bowling columnist and editor for Gannett Westchester (NY) Newspapers, Pearl was one of the first three women admitted to the Bowling Writers Association of America. She was the recipient of many awards and honors from bowling and bowling writers' associations, including inductions into seven bowling-related halls of fame. Most notable of these was her induction into the Women's International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 1999 for her years of meritorious service as a bowling writer and advocate for the sport.

While in Chappaqua, she was an active and proud volunteer for Hillary Clinton's successful US Senate campaigns.

Pearl's advice to her children included, "you can be anything that you want to be," and to "keep an open mind and try everything." She had a passion for helping others, meeting new people, and maintaining friendships worldwide. Her legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of many.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Pearl's name to the Clinton Foundation at https://bbis.clintonfoundation.org/tribute.

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