GEORGETOWN — James Anthony Koller Jr., 78, of Georgetown, ME, passed away in the presence of loved ones on Dec. 10, 2014, in Joplin, Missouri, while traveling across the country.
Born on May 30, 1936, in Oak Park, IL, James was the son of James and Elsie (Clark) Koller Sr. of Arlington Heights, IL. Koller obtained his B.A. in 1958 from North Central College in Naperville, IL, and subsequently lived in the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, the San Francisco Bay Area, and central Illinois, moving to Maine in 1972. He lived in Wayne, Lisbon Falls, and Brunswick before settling in a home he built in Georgetown in 1982.
Koller was a poet, editor, publisher, novelist, essayist, and visual artist. He authored over 30 collections of poetry and four novels, and received an NEA fellowship in 1968 and 1973. He founded (1964), edited, and published Coyote’s Journal and Coyote Books along with an evolving cast of co-editors. He was also involved in the Bioregionalism movement in the U.S. and Europe. His poems have been translated into French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish, and he traveled widely in the United States and Europe, reading and participating in events with his many colleagues and friends.
He was preceded in death by both parents. Survivors include two sons and four daughters: Deirdre (Dennis) Scott, of Illinois; a daughter, Jessie; Jedediah Koller, of Arizona; Theadora Koller, of Switzerland; Bertie (Rebecca) Koller, of Maine; and Ida Koller Chapman, of Maine; nine grandchildren: Tanya, Shawna, Will, Nathalie, Otis, Stella, Emery, Fern, and Wyatt; a great-grandson, Corbin; a sister, Joan (Bob) Perkins, of California; several nieces and nephews; and wife Margaret (Maggie) Brown, of California.
Memorial services are forthcoming in Maine, Illinois, and Switzerland.
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