James F. O'Keefe Jr.
James F. O'Keefe Jr., 90, of Adams Township, formerly of Glenshaw, entered into his eternal resting place in heaven to meet his beloved wife, Lillian, on Saturday at UPMC Passavant-Cranberry.
He was the beloved husband of the late Lillian V. (Bernath) O'Keefe; the loving father to Mary E. Ehrenberger of Glenshaw, James F. (Kathy) O'Keefe III of Cincinnati, Ohio, Ann C. (David) Smyers of Ross, Pa., John P. (Lori) O'Keefe of North Potomac, Md., Michael L. (Cindy) O'Keefe of Youngstown, Ohio, and Bruce Ehrenberger of Glenshaw; the proud grandfather of B. Christian (Jeannie) Ehrenberger, Scott Michael (Ericka) Ehrenberger, David Michael Smyers Jr., Lillia Suzanne Smyers, Ashley Catherine O'Keefe, John Patrick “Jack” O'Keefe Jr., Caroline Lillian O'Keefe, Nicole Allison O'Keefe and Sienna Rose O'Keefe; the adoring great-grandpa of Julia Rachel Ehrenberger, Kathryn Jane Ehrenberger, C. Zachary Ehrenberger and Indi Mae Ehrenberger; the brother of Joanne O'Keefe Burton and the late Sr. M. Aloysia O'Keefe, SCSH.
Jim was a man of honor and integrity, a veteran of World War II. Upon returning home from the war, he attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and was a Polio Pioneer as part of the vaccine trials of Jonas Salk.
He practiced internal medicine with a specialty in cardiology at the Pittsburgh, Columbia, Divine Providence and Forbes Metro hospitals. He was president of the Forbes Hospital System medical staff and medical director for the Forbes Center of Gerontology.
Following his retirement from private practice, he was appointed assistant chief of medical services for geriatrics at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Butler and served there until his full retirement in July 1990.
He was a humble and compassionate physician who on occasion brought home lady locks as payment from patients who couldn't afford to pay. Found recently were stacks of letters from patients and patients' families expressing extreme gratitude for his extraordinary care.
A devoted family man, he loved nothing more than spending time at his “dream home” along Slippery Rock Creek, ending each day around a roaring fire with his precious family. He lived independently until the end when he left us abruptly without fanfare, exactly the way he lived his life. Mom was waiting with open arms to welcome him home.
O'KEEFE — Friends of James F. O'Keefe, who died Saturday, May 17, 2015, will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. today at the DEVLIN FUNERAL HOME OF CRANBERRY, 2678 Rochester Road, 724-772-8800.A Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in St. Kilian Church, 204 Clark St., Mars, followed by interment with full military honors at Calvary Cemetery, Hazelwood.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Seton Hill Sisters of Charity, DePaul Center, 144 DePaul Center Road, Greensburg, PA 15601 or the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, M200K Scaife Hall, 3550 Terrace St., Pgh, PA 15261.
