GREENFIELD — Gordon Randall Kehler was many things to those in his life: a father, brother, friend, pacifist, war-tax resister and social justice activist, to name some.

Kehler, known to his loved ones as Randy, died on July 21, at the age of 80, at his home in Shelburne Falls. His friends and family gathered for a celebration of his life on Friday at the Second Congregation Church in Greenfield, where there was not a single empty pew in the church. Organizers even pulled extra chairs into the hallway for overflow crowds, which numbered in the hundreds.

The celebration told the story of Randy through words and song as his friends and family members shared their favorite memories of Kehler, as well as a few of his favorite poems and songs.

According to his loved ones, Kehler was a spirited man, who loved language, puns, poems, music, and sports. He was a hard worker, and incredibly empathetic person who did what he could for others and for the world.

Kehler was involved in several anti-war organizations in the 1960s and 1970s, and in the early 1980s was a leader in the movement against nuclear weapons. He also was known as Daniel Ellsberg’s inspiration to release the Pentagon Papers.

At Friday’s celebration, Kehler’s younger siblings Charlie Kehler and Mary Liz Kehler spoke about how Kehler became involved in activism, beginning with a childhood playing with toy soldiers.

“He had hundreds of them … dressed in army green with little riffles pointed at each other,” Charlie Kehler said. “There’s other ways to look at this. It was about organizing groups, and what is it to lead a campaign, and what can a well-organized group accomplish.”

It was not until years later, when Kehler was a teenager, that he really became an activist.

“There, Randy fell afoul of his manager for urging his fellow workers, mostly Blacks and Latinos, to stand up for their rights,” Mary Liz said. “Randy would later claim that the only reason he wasn’t fired was because he was the only one in the place that had figured out the deep fryer and could make a decent batch of french fries.”

Kehler took on dozens of causes throughout his lifetime, including the anti-Vietnam war movement, pioneered movements against nuclear weapons and openly opposed federal income taxes. Later in life he took on climate change, and in his final days reminded his loved one to never give up fighting for the causes they believed in. He especially urged them to continue their activism on the climate crisis.

“He told me however insignificant your actions may seem to you, don’t you ever suppose they aren’t important. You can never foresee what impact you may have. You can only do your best and hope your example will inspire others to act,” Mary Liz recollected.

His niece Molly Kehler, son-in-law Kristian Whitsett and grandson Axel Whitsett all read poems, including a few haikus written by Kehler when he lived in Colrain. Additionally, his daughter Lillian Whitsett shared some her favorite memories of her father, including singing silly songs and writing phony report cards declaring Lillian “unusually gifted and artistic.”

Whitsett said she felt “incredibly lucky” to have these memories with her father and was proud of all that he accomplished during his lifetime.

“Although I may not have always understood what he was doing, I knew my dad worked for peace,” Whitsett said.

More memories and stories of Kehler were shared as the evening continued through tears and laughter.