Brian O'Keefe

1943-2021

Gene Brian O’Keefe passed away in St. Paul’s Hospital, Saskatoon, SK, on June 16, 2021, after a lengthy struggle with cancer.  He was born August 3, 1943, to Lyle Bernard Keefe and Margaret Beryl (Powell) Keefe in Vancouver, B.C., the second of seven children.  He is survived by his loving wife, Donna Carlson-O’Keefe, his sons Brad O’Keefe (grandsons Jake and Carter) of Calgary and Steven O’Keefe (daughter-in-law Janine and grandchildren Skylar, Hunter, and Payton) of Saskatoon, stepdaughter Allison Steenson (son-in-law Greg and grandchildren Madison and Reece) of Calgary, and siblings Gary Keefe (Birdene) of Weyburn, Murray Keefe of Weyburn, Dawn Coulter (Duff) of Rosetown, Crystal Carlson (Ron) of Regina, and Sean Keefe (Patricia) of Waldheim, sister-in-law Rae Keefe of Weyburn, Donna’s siblings (Robert Hulgan of Kindersley,  Wray Hulgan (Femmie)  of Moose Jaw, Marilyn Shea (Ron)  of Kindersley, and Janet Adams (Barry) of Medicine Hat), and numerous nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his parents Lyle and Beryl, late wife Alice, brother Neal Keefe, sister-in-law Heather Keefe, and stepdaughter Moira Holley.

Brian grew up on the family farm near Griffin, Saskatchewan, and he and his siblings were very involved with 4H as they were growing up.  Two highlights of his 4H activities were winning a purebred shorthorn calf in a calf scramble at the Regina Exhibition, and winning a $200 scholarship to the U of S College of Agriculture at the Regina Farm Boys Camp.  He made use of that scholarship when he attended the College of Agriculture in Saskatoon, graduating with a BSA degree in 1965.  He worked for a few years as a 4H specialist and an Ag Rep, before going back to university to get his B.Ed., which he received in 1969.  He then went on to teach for 22 years in Saskatoon, mainly industrial arts at Riverview Collegiate, where he was part of a team writing an alternate high school program for students who were having difficulty in the regular stream. This was followed by 5 years in the Northwest Territories, where he was recruited to set up a special high school program for remote areas so students could get their Grade 12 without having to go too far from their home communities.

He was also a skilled athlete in his younger days, especially in track and field and baseball.  In university he got involved in wrestling, winning several intramural competitions and wrestling on the Saskatchewan Huskies team.  However, curling was his lifelong love and he took part in many bonspiels from high school and 4H to Saskatoon and Northern Saskatchewan Teachers bonspiels, winning his share of events as skip.  He also became a certified level 2 curling coach.  In later life he enjoyed watching curling and football (his beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders).

Probably the sport he loved the most, however, was fishing, both fly fishing and spin fishing.  For several summers he worked as a fishing pro or camp manager at fishing lodges in Northern Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.  After he and Donna were married in 1999, he was involved with operating Nordic Lodge on Reindeer Lake until they sold it in 2013.

He was a founding member of the Saskatchewan Fly Fishers in 1978 and the Kilpatrick Flyfishers in Saskatoon in 1985.  He was passionate about promoting and teaching the sport of fly fishing, starting out teaching fly tying classes in his basement and then in Biggar, Nipawin and La Ronge, as well as with the KFF in Saskatoon.  The fly he developed, the O’Keefe Special, is locally famous and is a staple in many flyboxes from Saskatchewan to BC and even Europe.  He was recognized as one of the best fly tyers in the KFF.  A highlight of his fly fishing trips was catching a 20 inch tiger trout in Jade Lake in Narrow Hills Provincial Park in 2014.

Another of his passions was cooking.  He loved to cook and bake for family and friends, and he was justly famous for his beer buns, butter tarts, and prime rib.  It wouldn’t be a Keefe family reunion without those beer buns, or a KFF event without the butter tarts.  He enjoyed organizing the lunch for the KFF opening day fishout, feeding sometimes as many as 75 people with freshly caught fish (depending on the success of the participants).

He also enjoyed lapidary and making wooden toys (tractors, wagons, airplanes, trucks, graders).  Another example of his woodworking skills was the HMCS Unicorn sign that stood outside the Unicorn building in Saskatoon, where he was an officer in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve for many years. 

However, Brian’s greatest love was his family.  He was very proud of his sons and grandchildren.  He loved the annual Keefe family reunions, and he especially loved going to his grandchildren’s games (hockey, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, basketball) and Ukrainian dance recitals.  A special time for him was teaching fly tying to his grandchildren on the deck of the cabin at Candle Lake in the summer of 2019. 

At this time there will be no funeral service, but a Celebration of Brian’s Life is being planned for a later date when we can all gather freely again.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan.  Arrangements in care of Aime Laventure - Mourning Glory Funeral Services (306) 978-5200.