Obituary of John C. O'Keeffe

Norman Dean Home for Services 16 Righter Avenue Denville, New Jersey 07834 (973) 627-1880 Star Ledger, web site—Yes, 1x Thursday 02.03.2011 Daily Record 1x Thursday 02.03.2011 Neighbor News John C. “Jack” O’Keeffe, 85, Bronze Star Medal recipient, former Denville mayor and Morris County Freeholder, and the engineer who led the Merrill Creek Reservoir project, died January 29 in Boonton Township’s Merry Heart Nursing Home, his wife of 64 years and his four surviving children at his side. O’Keeffe, who served Denville and Morris County for over 30 years from 1965 to 1997, was a tireless public servant, holding posts including Committeeman, Councilman, Denville Mayor and Director of the Morris County Board of Freeholders until his retirement from public life in 1997. Said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who has known and worked with O'Keeffe for decades: “Jack was my first political mentor and role model. He stood for everything that’s good about public service – integrity, commitment and principle. There’s not a day I’ve spent as Governor where I didn’t think about him.” In 1987, O'Keeffe was named Citizen of the Year by the New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers for his work to supervise the building of the Merrill Creek Reservoir, a joint project of seven utilities in Harmony Twp., NJ that collects water to release into the Delaware River in times of drought. Merrill Creek Reservoir, which opened to the public in 1989 and took more than 10 years to plan and build, includes a 650 acre reservoir, a surrounding 290 acre environmental preserve and a visitor center. The reservoir preserve is now one of only two nesting places for bald eagles in Northern New Jersey. Like many of his “greatest generation” brethren, service to his country and fellow citizens was second nature to O’Keeffe, a 422nd Infantryman, who won a Bronze Star and multiple campaign medals in the European theater including the Battle of the Bulge in France, one of the bloodiest battles in World War II. O’Keeffe rose to rank of Staff Sergeant during his military service. He was born in 1925 to parents who lived in Verona, NJ, but lost his mother when he was five years old and was sent to boarding school in Baltimore. He then attended the LaSalle Military Academy on Long Island, and joined the Army after he graduated from high school in 1943. After the war, he attended Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1951. O’Keeffe was working at the Public Service Electric & Gas Company when he was tapped by the utility consortium to head the Merrill Creek Reservoir project, which involved securing more than 40 local, state and federal permits over a 10 year period for the massive public works project. O’Keeffe retired from Public Service Electric in 1988, but his public service penchant lived on: he served as President of the St. Mary’s Lector Society from 1975 to 1987, was a member of the Morris County Republican Committee from 1967 to 1997, and a Trustee and President of the Trustees of the Denville Library from 1980 to 1997. He was also a member of the American Legion, Post 390, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 2519, and a member of the Knights of Columbus. O’Keeffe is survived by his wife, Elizabeth “Betty” McNeil O’Keeffe, who lovingly nursed him through a long battle with chronic pulmonary disease, and his four surviving children and eight grandchildren: daughter Nancy O’Keeffe and her husband, Frank Thomas, of Schenectady, NY; Brian O’Keeffe and his wife Melinda and daughters Amelia and Lily of Scottsdale, AZ; daughter Karen O’Keeffe and her husband Daniel Shannon of Denver, CO, and their sons, Edward, Dennis and James; and son Christopher O’Keeffe and his wife Barbara of Wellesley, MA, and their sons Michael, Jimmy and Jack. He was predeceased by his daughter Leslie O’Keeffe who died in 1993. The family will be receiving guests to celebrate John O’Keeffe’s life and memory on Friday February 4 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Norman Dean Funeral Home, 16 Righter Avenue, Denville, NJ. A funeral mass will be held at St. Mary’s Church in Denville at noon on Saturday, February 5. Burial will follow at Denville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to St. Mary’s School in Denville and to The Joey Bella Memorial Fund.