John O'Keeffe

John Patrick O'Keeffe, 83, of Grand Rapids, passed away peacefully at home on May 27, 2021. Mr. O'Keeffe was born on May 17, 1938 in Lansing, Michigan, the youngest of seven children of Edward Raymond ("Ray") O'Keeffe and Rosemary Dempsey O'Keeffe. He grew up in Belding, Michigan, where his father owned and operated "O'Keeffe's Dept. Store". Mr. O'Keeffe, a 1956 graduate of Belding High School, attended the University of Detroit where, as a junior, he was admitted to the School of Law. He graduated with his J.D. in 1963. On July 13, 1963, Mr. O'Keeffe married Paula Bernadette Deegan. Thereafter, he joined the United States Army as a Judge Advocate General ("JAG") Corp. lawyer in 1963. After his basic training at Fort Knox, KY, Mr. O'Keeffe attended the JAG Corp. training program at the University of Virginia, before being assigned to Fort Dix New Jersey in late 1963. His first child, a son, was born while he was stationed at Fort Dix, in September of 1964. In 1965, Mr. O'Keeffe moved with his young family to Ionia, Michigan, where he began practicing law, joining an existing law practice with Rex P. O'Connor and John McNamara ("O'Connor, McNamara & O'Keeffe"). He joined the Rotary Club, and was active in community affairs, including being elected to the Ionia County School Board, where he served as Vice-President. He was also an active member and parishioner of S.S. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, and a supporter of the Academy, where his children received their elementary education. An avid golfer, Mr. O'Keeffe was a member of the Ionia Country Club, and also served for several years on the board of Ionia County National Bank. In 1969, Mr. O'Keeffe and his wife purchased a plot of lake front property in Ganges, on the shores of Lake Michigan, and built a cottage next to one simultaneously built by his sister Eileen. Throughout the next 50 years, the O'Keeffe family had a presence on the shores of Lake Michigan, with the original cottages, followed by a subsequent, larger home purchased just south of the original structures in 1980, where John and Paula entertained their very large Irish Catholic family throughout the years. After Mr. O'Connor's retirement from the law partnership, the name of the firm changed and became "McNamara, O'Keeffe & Sykes". Robert J. Sykes (now Hon. Robert J. Sykes) became a named partner, and Mr. O'Keeffe continued to practice law in Ionia with Mr. McNamara and Hon. Judge Sykes until his retirement in 2006. John P. O'Keeffe and his wife Paula Deegan O'Keeffe had three children: Patrick Deegan O'Keeffe, 56, of Encinitas, California (Carlos Figueiredo, and children: Trever Kyle O'Keeffe, 11; and Ariel Jazmine O'Keeffe, 9); Mary Murphy ("Mayme") O'Keeffe, 54, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Kathleen O'Keeffe Kartsonas, 53, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Dean Kartsonas, and children: Sophia Deegan Kartsonas, 21; John Constantine Kartsonas, 20; and Emilia Dempsey Kartsonas, 16). His wife Paula preceded him in death in 1986. In December of 1990, Mr. O'Keeffe married Nancy Siebert of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who survives him, along with her children: Dr. Karl Siebert, and Christel Siebert Homrich. Mr. O'Keeffe continued to engage in his lifelong love of travel, spending time in Nassau, the Bahamas and in Key West, Florida with his wife Nancy during winters. They also enjoyed trips to Europe, and spent summers at Mr. O'Keeffe's home on Lake Michigan. A memorial Mass and reception will be held on Saturday, June 12, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at the O'Keeffe cottage on Lake Michigan. Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Grand Rapids, (616) 452-3006. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John O'Keeffe, please visit our flower store.