Michael John Keefe

Michael John Keefe, 83, husband of Patricia Lucille Keefe, died peacefully on Thursday, October 6, surrounded by his family. Prior to moving to Raleigh, NC in March 2022, Mr. Keefe and his wife were long-time residents of Falls Church, VA.

Mr. Keefe was born May 2, 1939, in Washington, DC to the late Cornelius (Neil) Joseph and Mary Catherine (nee Moore) Keefe. He was educated in Arlington County, Virginia, attending both public and parochial schools.

Mr. Keefe served in the U.S. Air Force as a jet aircraft mechanic in the Strategic Air Command and was honorably discharged in 1960. He later served in the Air Force Reserve as a payload master and a flight engineer.

Mr. Keefe was a successful and well-respected sales professional for the printing industry in the Washington, DC area. He began his career at Cooper-Trent, Inc., and went on to become vice president at Falcon Color, Inc. He was recruited to join the team at United Litho, Inc., where he worked until his retirement in 2001.

He served on the board of directors for the U.S. Air Force 459th Troop Carrier Wing retirement group and was editor of their newsletter. He also served on the board of the Glen Hollow Condominium Association. He was an avid collector of militaria and railroadiana, and his lifelong love of planes led him to obtain his private pilot’s license. He was intensely interested in genealogy, tracing his family’s history back to the 1600s. Other hobbies included photography and home improvement projects.

In addition to his wife of 61 years, Mr. Keefe is survived by his children, daughters Catherine Reynolds, and her husband, Christopher, currently serving in Pretoria, South Africa for the U.S. foreign service, Deborah Raif, and her husband, Walter, of Raleigh, NC; brother, Lawrence Keefe and his wife, Linda, of Siesta Key, FL; sister-in-law, Doris Hegner, and her husband, Anthony, of Galt, CA; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Mr. Keefe was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, Cornelius (Neil) J. Keefe.

A Liturgy of the Word will be offered on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 2:00pm in the Chapel of Mitchell Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Raleigh Memorial Park. The family will receive visitors prior to the service in the funeral home, beginning at 12:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials to the following charities, Insight Memory Care Center and the Alzheimer's Association by using the links below, under 'Donations'..

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