Couple Lives on Through Their Family and Faith

Throughout their lives, Clarence and Bernadette Kellerman’s dedication to their family and faith created a rich, lasting legacy for the Diocese of Austin.

“Their faith was strong,” said Jeanette Browning, who is the second youngest of the Kellermans’ six children. “It definitely impacted how we were growing up and how we act today.”

The two were married for 57 years before CJ, as he was known, passed in 2015. When Bernadette died in January 2023, she left behind their six children and their families, including 26 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. But their fruits extend far beyond the family they created together, thanks to careful estate planning and service to their parish, St. William in Round Rock, and Catholic education.

The couple met at a church social when CJ asked Bernadette to dance. After they married, CJ earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and accepted a job with IBM. The couple, now with a growing family in tow, relocated multiple times over the years, living internationally twice.

Their frequent moves gave the family plenty of opportunities to travel—but never an excuse to miss Mass. Wherever in the world they happened to be on Sunday, Bernadette saw that they were in a pew.

Whenever possible, the Kellermans enrolled their children in Catholic schools. “They saw the importance of getting that Catholic education,” said David Kellerman, their only son.

He said that their dedication to Catholic schools played an integral role in his father’s retirement. When he and his wife returned to Central Texas and settled in Round Rock, CJ found his final calling—to raise awareness for the need for more Catholic schools in the Austin area.

He worked tirelessly with Archbishop Gregory Aymond, Bishop Joe Vásquez, Bishop Daniel Garcia, Dr. Ned Vanders (former superintendent of Catholic Schools) and countless others to help create Holy Family Catholic School and St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School, as well as expand San Juan Diego Catholic High School.

CJ was also instrumental in the construction of the current sanctuary at St. William, where he and Bernadette were active parishioners.

As she grew older and her faith strengthened, Dolores (Dot) Ammons began to take notice of her parents’ approach to their faith. “It was humble, they kept it to themselves,” she said. “They were serving and doing by their actions.”

According to Kellerman, his parents served as role models for what he wants to be—someone who gives back to the church and is a servant leader for their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Through prayer and family life, CJ and Bernadette helped their children, and now their spouses and children, grow closer to Christ. “Our faith in God is there, and it’s helping us to get out into the world and to carry on the legacy that our parents put forth,” Kellerman said.