September 17, 1926 – March 9, 2021
Patrick O’Keefe, 94, passed away March 9, 2021 from complications of Covid.
Patrick was born on September 17, 1926 in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Cyril F. O’Keefe and Manie Hickman. His grandfather, Henry, delivered Pat at 6:30 in the morning. His father Cyril was an Irishman and mother, Manie, was a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and listed on the Dawes Final Rolls.
Patrick was preceded in death by his wife, Suzanne Jane (Larsen), Baby Boy O’Keefe, his parents, brother Henry, and sister Madelyn. He has a surviving brother, Eugene.
Patrick moved to Oklahoma at a young age. As a young boy, he worked with his father in a general store and worked on appliance repairs. He worked in a movie theater and also taught diving at summer camp.
He was a Boy Scout and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout when he was about 16 years old. He attended Putnam High School and excelled in playing basketball and baseball. Immediately after graduating from high school, Pat enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was 17 years old when he enlisted. He served aboard the USS Buckingham, an attack transport ship, as a Radarman (R3).
Following his Honorable Discharge from the Navy, Pat decided to go to school at The University of Oklahoma studying Electrical Engineering. He belonged to the Newman Club, a Catholic campus ministry group, while at OU.
While at OU, he met the love of his life, Suzanne Larsen. He and Sue got engaged, cut short their academic careers, and moved to California where they lived briefly with Sue’s parents in Bellflower. They married at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church on June 25, 1949. They were married for 62 years until Sue’s death.
Pat’s first job in California, and after being married, was at the Ohio Rubber Company. Following his employment there, he began a 36 year career with So. Cal. Edison as an Electrical Engineer. For many years he commuted into downtown Los Angeles. He was transferred to Rosemead, Cal. where he ended his career and began retirement in 1986.
He and Sue owned their first and second homes in Downey, CA. Between 1950 and 1965 they had 9 children; one of whom died shortly after birth. Of the eight children, all of whom are living, there are three daughters and five sons. The girls are Diane, Kerry, and Marianne. The boys are Kevin, Joseph, Patrick, Matthew, and Thomas. In addition to his eight children, he has 19 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.
Summer vacations for the O’Keefe’s began in the 1960’s when Pat and Sue bought a large, three section canvas tent. They bought all of the gear and Pat made a large chuck box camp kitchen to hold all the pots and pans, plates, cups, Coleman stove, and griddle. The kids all had sleeping bags. Pat taught the kids how to fish. There was plenty of hiking and swimming and Pat was diving off rocks or making sure it was safe to swim. Sue, who was not a morning person, would fix pancakes or French toast, or eggs with toast for breakfast. The kids had to be back by lunchtime if they wanted to eat. And there was always a great dinner to finish the day. Nights were spent around a campfire.
Pat continued to be active in baseball when his children were young. He was an assistant coach of the Tigers Major League team at East Downey Little League when they were the league champions. He served as League President several years. He was credited with teaching young pitchers how to throw knuckleballs and curves, but cautioned them not to throw too many curves or they would be pulled from the mound. He was concerned about ruining their arms. He used to turn on the radio in the garage and listen to Vin Scully play-by-play calls for the L.A. Dodgers. But his favorite was watching OU football. Nobody called the house if dad was watching the Sooners football. He and his family spent many days cheering on the Sooners from Pat’s various homes.
There were trips to Oklahoma to visit his parents, brother Henry and his family, and sister Madelyn and her family. He taught some of his nephew’s different types of dives. There were plenty of great memories getting our kicks on Route 66; stuffing the family into the station wagon, Stuckey’s, lunches along the highway, potty breaks, and outbreaks of chiggers! After the children were grown and out of the house, he and Sue enjoyed cruising and taking trips to Europe. His last trip abroad was to Ireland with son Patrick and his family. How fitting!
Pat and Sue were very active in their church at St. Dominic Savio Catholic Church in Bellflower, CA. They were both active in parish council, Sue with the women’s guild club and church choir, and Pat ran the annual church fiesta for about 15 years He was a 3rd Degree Knight and Honorary Life Member with the Knights of Columbus for 55 years.
They were active in musical plays and several of their children had parts in a few of the plays. He and Sue were quite the couple out on the dance floor at church parties. They were always happy to dance and the smile on their faces could attest to their love for each other. Many of the children attended parochial school there, and were either baptized, received their first communion and confirmation, or married at the church.
Following retirement, they moved to Hesperia, CA where they continued their faith journey. They were active parishioners at Holy Family Catholic Church and helped finance, through donations, to build the church.
Their long-time friends from Downey and Bellflower would visit for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Camporee in Pat and Sue’s very large backyard. They circled up the RV’s, had a few drinks, tossed horseshoes, told stories, laughed a lot, and finished up with corned beef and cabbage.
Upon moving to Henderson, NV, Pat and Sue were active parishioners at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. They had their “reserved” seats, and Fr. John was always sure to sprinkle Pat with a little extra holy water!
There were many family parties at the Hesperia home. Because it was always difficult to find flights or travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, Pat and Sue started a tradition of Thanksgiving usually two weeks before the day. There were parties with 25-30 family members and friends who would gather together, drink a little and toss horseshoes, walk the dry creek, and always enjoy a great meal. That tradition continued when they relocated to Henderson. Pat loved his lemon meringue pie and pecan pie. He was not fond of chocolate, but that didn’t stop Sue from making her famous Chocolate Pudding pie for the rest of the family.
Pat will be greatly missed, but not forgotten. He left a legacy of children and spouses, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to carry on the family name. He gave them unconditional love and strong sense of family values. He was always willing to listen to problems and could keep confidential any issues that involved the family.
We are confident that Dad is with mom in the palm of God. We would not be surprised if he’s joking with God or telling his goofy puns to St. Peter.
We love you Dad. Rest in Peace.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmboulderhighway.com for the O'Keefe family.
SHARE OBITUARYSHARE
v.1.13.0