Way back in 1965, when Johnson was in office, the Vietnam War was raging, and the latest craze was this new invention called the “skate board,” Sharon Keller happened upon Chicago’s Jewish United Fund building by accident.

Keller had recently relocated with her husband from her hometown of Milwaukee to Chicago. After a stint working at another company where she says they “hated Jews,” she was taking a break from job hunting to do a little shopping in downtown Chicago. Strolling past the JUF building, she thought, “I’d probably enjoy this.” Keller went in for an interview on the spot and was hired instantly.

That was a Thursday, she started work that Monday, and she worked at JUF every day after that–for a whopping 44 years, until her retirement in 2009. Keller–one of the longest-working employees in JUF’s history–passed away on Monday, April 27, at age 83.

“I don’t mean to sound corny, but I just have always loved coming to work,” said Keller back in 2009, reminiscing about her long career.

First, she worked in JUF’s public relations department. In that capacity, she would get to meet the many celebrities that came through the JUF doors, a more casual and common occurrence back then-some would even make phone calls to raise donations.

“One day, I was sitting at my desk, busy typing, when this man walked in and said he had a meeting with my boss,” she said. “I knew that voice. I looked up and there he was–Jerry Lewis.” Over the years, she hobnobbed with other stars like Alan King, Jackie Mason, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry King, George Stephanopoulos, and even had dinner with Ol’ Blue Eyes–Frank Sinatra.

She also met many Israeli diplomats through the years, including Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Ariel Sharon. One of her career highlights was presenting flowers to Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir when she spoke for JUF, where the prime minister greeted Keller with a hug and kiss.

Keller’s love for the Jewish people and for Israel grew stronger every day during her career. The Six-Day War, during the spring of 1967, stood out as an urgent and frenetic time for Keller, when the Chicago community galvanized to help its Israeli brethren. “During the war, we would work nights into the early morning,” she said. “People would just walk into JUF from outside and throw money at the front desk. I would take the train in and people who knew me would walk over to me and hand me cash. It was just unbelievable.”

After three years in public relations, Keller switched departments and joined the Women’s Division on the Campaign floor as a secretary and then an administrative assistant, where she would spend the rest of her JUF tenure.

Steven B. Nasatir, JUF President, worked with Keller for much of her time at JUF. “Sharon loved JUF like a family,” he said.