Memorial service held for philanthropist Barbara Keller
A public memorial service for beloved valley philanthropist Barbara Keller was held Thursday at Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs.
The service lasted an hour and a half, with six speakers making remarks about Keller’s memory. After the event, a celebration of life ceremony was held for Keller at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
“She was magical, one of the most intelligent and focused and a beautiful person,” Jerry Keller, Barbara’s husband of 38 years, said.
The service was filled with moments of somber emotion and levity with family members cracking jokes.
“In the beginning, my mother married the greatest man on earth…not you,” Lindsay Berger Sacks, the daughter of Barbara, said to Jerry amidst laughter from the audience. Berger Sacks’ father is the first husband of Barbara.
Jerry said these moments captured the family dynamic.
“It’s really loving and it sounds trite. We truly love each other and respect each other and we all work for the same goals,” he said.
He and other family members made sure they put on a smile because he says that’s what Barbara would have wanted.
“Life can have a lot of negatives but she used to love the phrase ‘You take the lemons and make lemonade’ and I know it’s very trite, but that was her mantra,” Jerry said.
Keller passed away on Monday at the age of 75. Originally from New York, she and her husband Jerry own LULU California Bistro in Palm Springs and Acqua California Bistro in Rancho Mirage. 
She was well known for her long history of working with desert charitable groups. Keller served as chairperson of the board of directors at Desert AIDS Project and co-chair of the Steve Chase Galas, vice-chair of the board of trustees at the Palm Springs Art Museum, trustee of the McCallum Theater and Jewish Family Service. She was a supporter of many more local charities.
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Keller was honored numerous times around the valley for her work helping the community.
In February 2012, she received a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
She is a recipient of the ATHENA Award for community service and was previously named Volunteer of the Year from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
In 2016, Keller was honored in Rancho Mirage at the 4th Annual Women in Business Awards.
Keller is survived by her husband, kids, and grandchildren.
