Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe

Early life and education

Mr. Jeremiah O'Keefe was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on July 12, 1923. His parents were J. Ben O'Keefe and Teresa Slattery O'Keefe. He was the second of four children. With his family, he moved to Biloxi, Mississippi at age thirteen because the home he was born in and lived in was lost to the family during the Depression. O'Keefe went to St. Alphonsus Elementary School and Sacred Heart Academy in Biloxi, Mississippi. After World War II, O'Keefe graduated from Loyola University, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Military career

O'Keefe was attending Soule Business College during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He quickly enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from 1942-1943. Then he became a fighter pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1943-1945. He was a 1st Lt. with the VMF-323 Marine Squadron, known as the "Death Rattlers". He gained recognition for his contributions to an dogfight in Okinawa on April 22, 1945 in which he shot down five Japanese Kamikazes, becoming an ace in a single day. (This action was chronicled on the Dogfights TV series, the episode: Supersonic." On April 28 Lt. O'Keefe shot down another two enemy planes bringing his total victories to seven which made him the highest scoring ace in Okinawa at the time.

Awards

Lt. O'Keefe received both the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. In connection with the celebration of his 90th birthday on July 12, 2013, a bronze bust depicting him in his gear as a young aviator was installed in the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, honoring him as an ace and member of the Death Rattlers.

Lt. O’Keefe, at the age of 91, was recognized with Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony in his home town of Ocean Springs, MS on June 5, 2015. This medal is the highest civilian award given by Congress.

Personal life

O'Keefe and his wife, Annette Saxon O'Keefe, had 13 children, 43 grandchildren, and 33 great-grandchildren. Their family has a fondness for Southern cooking and story-telling which inspired their 1994 publication of a family cookbook, Cooking on the Coast. They remained married until Annette O'Keefe died on May 16, 1998. At the time of his death, O'Keefe was married to Martha Peterson O'Keefe. He died on August 23, 2016 and was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

O'Keefe was interested in civil rights and took a stand throughout his life. O'Keefe describes an event that led him to being active and attentive to minority relations. While in college, he was asked to join a business fraternity. The fraternity told him that Jewish and Blacks were not allowed to participate in the fraternity. O'Keefe told the fraternity that he was uninterested in joining unless they allowed minorities to participate and join. The fraternity obliged and altered their policy and allowed minorities to join. O'Keefe then became president of the fraternity for a year proceeding the policy change.

Business

Jerry O'Keefe and his family have owned O'Keefe Funeral Homes since the early 1900s. In 1957 he bought his major competitor's business, creating Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes. He also founded a life insurance company, Gulf National Life. In 1996 O'Keefe won a jury trial concerning a contractual dispute involving the family businesses. He and fellow plaintiffs were awarded $500 million in damages, a sum that would have bankrupted the defendant. O'Keefe eventually settled for a significantly lower sum.

Political career

In 1954, Mr. O'Keefe was selected Outstanding Young Man of the year and later the Outstanding Citizen. He was elected to the Mississippi State Legislature in 1960 and served one term, ending 1964. He served as the Chairman of the 'Temperance Committee', fighting for liquor legalization, on a local-option basis, in Mississippi, the last remaining 'dry' state in the nation. In his freshman year he was named one of four most outstanding legislators for his service. One of his sons Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe IV also served in the Mississippi Legislature from 1971 to 1979.

After completing his term in office, he returned to his business and civic activities. He later was elected the Mayor of Biloxi, Mississippi for two terms from 1973 to 1981. It was during his tenure as mayor that O’Keefe stood up to the Ku Klux Klan during the Civil Rights-era which earned him death threats and a burning cross in his yard. Nevertheless, O’Keefe stood his ground then as he had in 1945 and never backed down, which earned him previous recognition from Congress in 2011.

Philanthropy

Jerry O'Keefe was a major financial contributor and fundraiser for both the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. He and his wife Annette also founded and endowed the O'Keefe Charitable Foundation, a charitable organization designed to support local organizations and various other charitable purposes. O'Keefe has long been active in a variety of civic organizations. In 1967 and 1975, he was honored by the United Fund Campaign for Distinguished Service to the people of Harrison County. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Boy Scouts of America's Pine Burr Area Council.