Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe IV

Mr. Jeremiah Joseph (Jody) O’Keefe IV, 61, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, died December 3, 2007, at his home in Ocean Springs. Born in Biloxi, MS on May 21, 1946 into a family that eventually grew to thirteen siblings, Mr. O’Keefe attended Notre Dame High School, Biloxi, MS. through 1964 and then served in the U. S. Marine Corps, 1964-67. He married Annette Longeway in 1966 while stationed in California. Mr. O’Keefe graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1970, earning a Political Science degree and receiving a regional scholarship to Tulane Law School. He was excelling at Tulane Law School in 1972 when he resigned to run for a seat in the Mississippi Legislature. He was elected Outstanding Freshman Legislator, 1971, for his skill and accomplishments. He represented Harrison County in the legislature from 1971 to 1979. While in the legislature, he cast a notable, courageous vote regarding civil rights: on a motion to contest and continue battling against the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1964. Mr. O’Keefe was the only white legislator to join with the black caucus and vote against the proposal. After his legislative service, Mr. O’Keefe worked as a Land Man negotiating oil and gas drilling rights in Louisiana and later, captained his own shrimp boat –the Shannon-Toiresa, named after two of his daughters. In one memorable episode, he was swept overboard in the Gulf of Mexico, had to climb back onto his un-manned boat and then stitch the wound in his forehead without a painkiller. He later turned to less risky pursuits, operating a restaurant in Florida where he practiced his flair for cooking. Many of his famous recipes live on through his children and on the pages of the O'Keefe's family cookbook, Cooking on the Coast. He married Helen Granberry on June 11, 1999. His passion for his Irish heritage and love for Celtic culture culminated into two trips to Ireland with his wife Helen. He was the Founding President of The O’Keefe Foundation and shepherded into life the innovative New Hope Center (aimed at helping handicapped youth integrate with their peers) and negotiated contracts that secured its wellbeing. He was still involved with the foundation at the time of his death. These are a few details of Jody O’Keefe’s life, but what his family cherishes most is the generosity, sense of humor, quick wit and kindness he unfailingly showed to those in need. He always opened his heart and hands – helping a wide range of people, from a Vietnamese merchant who needed aid navigating City Hall, to a family needing funds to bury a loved one; to helping others without enough food restock their refrigerators. He was a master of kindness. And he also had a great knack for transforming his occasional scrapes into unforgettable stories. Mr. O'Keefe was preceded in death by his mother, Rose Annette Saxon O’Keefe. Survivors include his wife Helen Granberry O’Keefe, his four children Toiresa (Tess) Talley and her husband David, Shannon O'Keefe, Jeremiah Joseph (Jeremy)O'Keefe,and Erin O’Keefe, his former wife, Annette Longeway O’Keefe, his father, Jeremiah J. O’Keefe III and his wife, Martha O'Keefe, as well as siblings, Maureen and her husband Pat Ward of Bethesda, MD, Cecilia and her husband Michael Neustrom,of Lafayette, LA, Kathryn and her husband John Kaye of Madison, MS, Virginia O'Keefe of Ocean Springs, Susan and her husband Chris Snyder of Ocean Springs, Mary and her husband Bob Snell of Houston, TX, Mercedes and her husband David Huval of Lafayette, LA, James and his wife Janie O'Keefe of Gulfport, John and his wife Lea O'Keefe of Honolulu, HI, Jeffrey and his wife Lynn O'Keefe of Biloxi, Justin and his wife Rhonda O'Keefe of Gulfport and Joseph and his wife Stephanie O'Keefe of Chevy Chase, MD. Visitation will be held from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 6, 2007 at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 7, 2007 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Ocean Springs, where he will lie instate from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. A private burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Ocean Springs. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be made to the New Hope Center in care of The Boys and Girls Club, 11975-B Seaway Road, Gulfport, Mississippi, 39503.