Thomas "Joe" Joseph Keefe III

Thomas Joseph Keefe III (“Joe”), of New Braunfels, died peacefully surrounded by family on March 5, 2024. Joe was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on April 5, 1947 to Thomas Keefe II and Catherine (Laux) Keefe. He was the oldest of five siblings. His family moved often for his father’s job throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and Canada. Joe completed high school in Montreal and enrolled at McGill University. It was there he met Barbara “Barbe” Kniffen whom he would later marry. Joe Graduated from McGill in 1969 and was drafted for military service. He reported for Basic Training at Fort Campbell to begin several years of service in the US Army. His time in the Army took him to the northern Pacific for Operation Red Hat, Vietnam, the Pentagon, and a number of bases around the world. He was honorably discharged in 1972 with the rank of 1st Lieutenant.

After his discharge from the Army, Joe married Barbe in 1973. Joe worked at his father’s Ford dealership which began a forty-year career selling Ford vehicles. Eventually, Joe and Barbe raised two daughters in Longwood, Florida. Joe would find great pride watching both daughters play golf competitively including collegiately at the Division I level. Michelle and Jennifer still recall his distinct bellow during tournaments every time they sank a birdie putt, made a crucial shot, or did anything to get him the least bit excited. He was known to be quite the prankster and many fond memories of his antics will live on after his passing. His brother will never forget the time Joe put oysters under the seat of his car when he got married, only to let the car sit in the Florida sun while they were on their honeymoon. He laughed when they complained that the smell never got out of that car! Joe worked very hard to provide for his family and they enjoyed many days on the golf course, taking vacations, and boating. After retirement, Joe and Barbe moved to Texas. He always said he only wished he had gotten to Texas sooner. He would spend his days watching the deer, enjoying his new Texas friends, and spending time walking the Yorkies. They also enjoyed taking trips to national parks across the western United States and Canada.

While living in Texas, Joe was an honored recipient on the 2022 Honor Flight to Washington, DC which gave him closure. He once said “the trip was the best thing I ever did, removed the bad experiences from Vietnam, and finally received the thank you for my service.” Thereafter, Joe would proudly discuss his military service and found great comfort in speaking with other veterans.

Joe was preceded in death by his father, Thomas, and mother, Catherine. He is survived by Barbara, his loving wife of 50 years; brother, John; sisters, Cathy Burpee (Sandy), Debbie Oles (Joel), and Pat Shoenberger (Larry); daughters Michelle Keefe and Jennifer Sipes (Andrew); 3 grandchildren, Clark Sipes, Brady Sipes, & Graham Sipes; and several nieces & nephews.

Joe will be honored with a memorial service on May, 15, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Zoeller Funeral Home. Family and friends are welcome to sign his online guestbook and view a collection of favorite memories at www.zoellerfuneralhm.com . In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to Honor Flight San Antonio (14080 Nacogodoches Rd., Box 340, San Antonio, TX 78247).