Keisker always thought of others first

It's odd to be shocked to hear a 102-year-old man has died, but that's how many reacted to news that the Rev. Walter J. Keisker died Tuesday.

It's because he remained such a figure in community life in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, Mo., where he served as pastor and then as pastoral assistant of St. Paul Lutheran Church for more than 50 years. Just last month, he attended his daughter's 50th anniversary party -- he'd performed the wedding ceremony.

And on Monday, the day before he died, he was planning a Thanksgiving service for his friends at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau, where he'd lived for the past eight years.

But that's who he was, a man who always thought of others first. He helped start Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Southeast Missouri, which helps mothers in distress and many others. He was an active member of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, promoting the community at every opportunity.

Rev. Keisker had more life in him at 102 than some people ever will. He will be missed.