Patrick Gordon O'Keefe

Capt. Patrick Gordon O’Keefe set sail on his final and greatest voyage on June 6, 2019 at Annapolis, Maryland. He was born the second child of Judge Arthur J. O’Keefe, Jr. and Eleonora “Noni” Gordon O’Keefe on October 19, 1926 in New Orleans. He graduated from Jesuit High and briefly attended Notre Dame University and Tulane University before enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy from the Fleet by competitive examination in 1945. He graduated and was commissioned in the Class of 1949. Upon graduation he married Patricia Mary Carlin of New Orleans (Deceased), his lifelong love. Together they had five children, Patrick (Mirna), Timothy (Marcia), Sean (Laura), Kathleen (Joe Tynan) and Shannon. He will also be missed by ten grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, several great grandchildren, and his sole surviving sibling, Michael H. O’Keefe of New Orleans. He defended his country for 25 years as an active duty Naval Officer in the submarine service, the “Silent Service,” and was a decorated veteran. He retired from active duty in 1974 following his final command tour as Supervisor of Shipbuilding in Groton, Connecticut. In later civilian life, he was Executive Vice-President of Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine where he supervised the construction of 25 ARLEIGH BURKE class destroyers and 3 TICONDEROGA class cruisers. In final retirement, he maintained his ever-active mind by attending Bowdoin College in Maine, studying German literature and astrophysics. He was a devoted husband and father whose kindly, sage advice and dry wit will be sorely missed by all his progeny whose company he so enjoyed. He lived the motto of his graduating class at Annapolis, “Non Sibi Sed Patria” (not for myself but for my country). He loved his God, his country, and his family. He passed away on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, what would have been his 70th wedding anniversary, and his youngest child’s birthday. How typically precise of him. The family wishes to thank the staff of Ginger Cove for keeping him comfortable until the end. A funeral and interment at Arlington National Cemetery beside the wife he adored will follow at a later date.