Incident
Game Warden Claude Keller was killed when his light plane crashed into Lagune Madre, 10 miles south of the Padre Island Causeway, while he was patrolling the waterway for illegal netting activities.
Warden Keller's partner survived the crash.
Warden Keller was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and had served with the Texas Game and Fish Commission for 10 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, mother, six brothers, three sisters, and his grandmother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-1BFA326B- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Claude is one person.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Game Warden Keller gave the Texas Game and Fish Commission 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Claude Keller served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.
Game Warden Claude Keller is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Texas Game and Fish Commission, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Claude Keller's cause is highlighted.
How Claude Keller Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Claude Keller is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Military Service
Claude Keller served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.
Visit Claude Keller’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Texas Game and Fish Commission are honored on badge.nw.