My name is Wally Keeler and I am an alcoholic. I have been sober 51 years as of October 19, 2014. I’m 87 years old now. When I was 36 I decided I was sick and tired of being sick. I blew all my money on booze and had many blackouts. I met my wife when I was in recovery. Her name was Eloise and she attended meetings for Al-Anon the support group for families of alcoholics. We started talking and developed a friendship. One day I got down on my knees and said Eloise will you marry me? And she said yes under one condition, you can never take another drink or you will be number three. So I asked her what do you mean number three? She got rid of two husbands (divorced) because they drank and she wasn’t going to tolerate it again. I said ok.

Eloise and I worked with my parish priest at St. Rose to make arrangements to marry in the Catholic Church. We had to make sure all the paperwork was in order and then Eloise took RCIA classes and became a Catholic. We were married in the summer of 1977. Eloise died in 1987 but I stayed strong because I knew I had to stay sober. Those ten years were good years and I wanted to stay on the right track.

My faith has always been a part of my story. I don’t think I ever have missed a Sunday Mass or a Holy Day service. That constant contact with people of my faith helped me. My sponsor was a Catholic too. I also was offered a job by my parish priest to become the boiler operator when the janitor at the parish got sick. I had to go downtown and get a license to do this job, but I got it and did that for a few years.

The thing about alcoholics is we hurt the people that love us the most. My parents whom I was living with at the time when I returned from the service tried to encourage me to stop. I would just say ok but I never did. I was hooked. I wasn’t working but the money that I has sent home while I was in the service is what I lived on. When I first went to AA I went to meetings every day, now that I have been sober for 51 years I go once a week on Wednesdays.

When Fr. Andrew asked me if I would tell my story I first said NO, but like everybody knows you can’t say no for long so one day I told him I would do it. This is the only time I ever told my story and I am glad to have shared my story. I thought maybe I could help someone else.

In closing I am going to share the Serenity Prayer that I learned from AA
GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.