Ernest “Jack” Kellerstrass (1944–2026)

Jack Kellerstrass was just four days shy of his 82nd birthday when he slipped away peacefully on August 23, 2026, surrounded by the family he had spent a lifetime building.   Born in Ogden, Utah, on August 27, 1944, to Karl Ernest “Kelly” Kellerstrass and Opal Jacketta Elder. 

Jack came into the world ready to go to work.  He grew up in the saddle working the family ranch, pitching in with his father’s trucking business and, at the ripe old age of twelve, managing a ten-acre peach farm. Even then the entrepreneur was in full bloom—spraying trees, bossing the crew, and, on one memorable afternoon, somehow driving a tractor straight up a tree. Convinced he was about to be fired; young Jack instead learned a lesson that stuck with him forever: a ferocious work ethic covers a multitude of (slightly) crooked tractor paths.

That same work ethic became the stuff of family legend. Children and grandchildren still shake their heads and admit none of them ever managed to outwork the man—not even in his eighties. “He never stops,” one of them said recently, half in admiration and half in exhausted surrender.

After graduating from Weber State University with a degree in business and finance, Jack put that drive to good use, launching one venture after another. His final chapters included three decades as an agent for Landstar through Advanced Supply Chain Logistics and the founding of Allstates Warehousing and Distribution.

He was a builder—not of barns or boats, but of businesses, of family, and of lasting relationships. His life was a life of service. The person on the side of the road needing a tow, the neighbor down the street that needed snow removal, the stranger needing a meal, he was never afraid to engage with people in need.

Jack’s simpler joys were equally steadfast: his wife’s spaghetti, soft jazz drifting through the house, and the cheerful habit of whistling his way through the day with his Pomeranian “Buttons” by his side. He possessed a booming laugh that erupted most readily at simple slapstick humor.

A faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he had a deep love for the Lord. He served in countless callings, including Bishop and High Councilman, Elder’s Quorum President, and completed ten missions—among them two unforgettable years in Sri Lanka alongside his wife.

Jack is survived by his beloved companion of forty years, Pamela; his six children—John Larsen (Michelle), Dana Larsen (Lisa), Todd Kellerstrass (Margaret), Kelly Aberle (Michael), Kjerstyn Thomas (Craig), and Leisha Kellerstrass; eighteen grandchildren who knew him as “Papa”; and five great-grandchildren already learning that the apple doesn’t fall far from the hard-working tree.

A funeral service celebrating Jack’s life will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Edmonton.

https://waltonsfuneral.frontrunnerpro.com/book-of-memories/5739308/Kellerstrass-Ernest-Jack/index.php