Keith M. Shellhammer

Keith Shellhammer, longtime local businessman, family man and Sioux City native, died Friday, Feb. 4. He was 85. The cause was ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Visitation will be Thursday, Feb. 10, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel, 3220 Stone Park Blvd. The funeral service will be Friday, Feb. 11, 10:30 a.m., at First Presbyterian Church, 608 Nebraska St., with a reception following at the Sioux City Country Club, 4001 Jackson St.  Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent to www.meyerbroschapels.com.

Keith Melvin Shellhammer was born July 18, 1936. He graduated from East High school and Morningside College. He was the son of Hilda and Mel Shellhammer (dec’d), also of Sioux City. 

A strong work ethic and love of family and friends defined Keith’s life. His first job at age 14 was at his father’s service station, Mel’s D-X, at Third and Wesley Way. After college, he sold automobiles before entering the insurance field at the J. Watt Wooldridge Agency. In March 1960, he married Connie Ferdig of Sioux City. The couple had two children.

Keith was a founding partner of the Mills-Shellhammer-Puetz-Associates Insurance Agency. He and Lynn Mills formed their partnership in 1994 “on a handshake” and became close friends, as well as successful entrepreneurs. Until last year, when the illness robbed his physical strength, he remained active in the business.

In his free time, Keith loved boating and being on the water, whether as a child at Brown’s Lake or an adult on the Missouri or at the family cottage at Blanche Lake, Minn., where he taught kids, grandkids and great-grandkids to swim, ski and sail. More recently, he and Connie enjoyed winter months on Palm Island, off the Florida Gulf Coast.

Keith served on the governing boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Siouxland, First Presbyterian Church, River-Cade of Siouxland and Sioux City Country Club, among other organizations. He will be missed by legions of friends and extended family near and far. He was a kind and good man, generous to a fault, who never met a stranger or knowingly made an enemy.

In addition to his wife, survivors include his sister, Jan; daughter, Kellie Stevens (Michael Duggan); son, David (Kim); son, Randall Jones (Terri); grandchildren Parker, Connor, Cameron and Jorden Shellhammer, Kate, Brett (Jaclyn) and John (Kassie) VanBeest; and great-grandchildren Kenzie and Maddie Shellhammer, Jett, Mila, Deacon and Quinn VanBeest; and his dog, Maggie.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Keith’s name to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Siouxland or to the Holy Spirit Retirement Home.