Catherine T. O'Keefe

Catherine T. O’Keefe (nee Reilly), passed peacefully on September 4, 2019 at Brighton Gardens of Mountainside, NJ after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. She was 88.
She was born in NYC on February 17, 1931 to the late Michael and Teresa (Healy) Reilly. She was predeceased by her husband, Jeremiah (Jerry) O’Keefe, and her siblings, John, Jean Dee and Patsy (who succumbed to Polio as a child).
She is survived by her loving son, Stephen (Kara), her adored grandchildren, Aidan and Aislinn, dearest niece Patricia Dee and loving nephew Michael Dee. She also leaves nephews Michael, Robert and Dennis Reilly and niece, Jennifer Reilly.
Catherine (Cathy) was known as the Pied Piper of children. She loved to be around all the kids, playing with them on the floor, building Legos and puzzles and playing dolls, dinosaurs or Hot Wheels and dress-up. Most importantly, she taught all the children how to play card games, especially Poker and Rummy.
While she has only two grandchildren, she was “Momo” to all the children she met. She was dearest Momo to Sinead and Mairead Atkinson, Ryan, Christine and Eamon Phelan, Brendan Gillen and grand-nephew Keith Dee. They were all like grandchildren to her. She loved them all and imparted her joy for life and her wisdom to them.
Cathy grew up in Long Island City, Astoria and finally Maspeth NY. She graduated from Bishop McDonnell HS in 1949 and attended St. John’s University for her teaching degree. She taught 3rd grade at St. John the Baptist School from 1949-1952 while studying for her degree. She was editor of the college newspaper and yearbook.
Cathy married Jerry in 1952 and was widowed in 1966. She went to work at Bell Telephone and later AT&T where she held many supervisory and later, managerial positions in both the Sales and Collections Divisions of the companies. When she retired from “Ma Bell” in 1985, she began her encore career with the City of NY Police Department at 1 Police Plaza where she worked to untangle the bills for the telephone equipment and lines used by the NYC Police Department. Her extraordinary efforts led to many reimbursements to the city for lines and equipment no longer in use for which the city was being billed. In 1990, she was given a commendation from then NYC Mayor David Dinkins for saving the city many hundreds of thousands of dollars—some of those savings were used to fund another Police Academy class that year.
In 1991, Cathy moved from Maspeth to Mountainside NJ to live with Stephen and Kara. She continued to commute into NYC daily to her job at Police Plaza for the next three years until her retirement in 1994 after having double bypass surgery.
From 1994-2015 Catherine was involved in many activities that kept her busy. She was a devoted Catholic who prayed the Rosary daily. She was a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Mountainside NJ but also attended Masses at St. Mary’s Stony Hill in Watchung NJ.
She joined the Mountainside Senior Citizen’s Club and for many years served as its president and other board positions. She traveled to shows and museums with the group and especially enjoyed their holiday luncheons.
During these years her two grandchildren were born; Aidan in 1997 and Aislinn in 1999. They truly became the center of her universe and no two children could have been blessed with a better grandmother. She was always there to lend a much-needed hand when they were infants—diaper changing included. She took them for long stroller walks and when they were older, she would play with them for hours in the yard. Momo was the kids’ full-time playmate, and more importantly, a great teacher to them both.
Aidan and Aislinn were blessed to live in a multi-generational home and benefit from all it offered, including a soft place to land if Mom was angry with them or if Dad said ‘no’ to some request. Momo was so loving and patient with Aidan and Aislinn plus she always had the best snacks and juice boxes stashed in her kitchen for them to enjoy!
In the early 2000’s, Cathy began to spend a few winter weeks or months with Kara’s parents at their home in Boynton Beach FL, and later, at her own rental property nearby. She always said that these were some of the most fun times of her life. Cathy was very proud of her Irish heritage and the nearby Shamrock Club of the Palm Beaches was the hub of activity for the gang of friends in Boynton. Fish-fry Fridays and the live Irish music and dancing on Saturdays were the best part of the week. The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and other Club sponsored events made for a grand time in Boynton Beach.
Sadly, Cathy’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease in 2006 kept her from returning to Florida, but she continued on with her activities in Mountainside Seniors.
In 2015, Cathy fell and broke her shoulder and she soon became wheelchair bound. In April of that year, she moved into Brighton Gardens Assisted Living in Mountainside. She was still able to come home from time to time but she greatly enjoyed all the activities in Brighton Gardens. She made many friends there, playing cards and bingo and all the staff at BG say that Cathy was THE best cruciverbalist (someone who solves crossword puzzles) they have ever met!
Along with all these activities, Cathy was a lifelong avid reader; from Harlequin romances to mysteries to science fiction. Andre Norton, Anne Rice and Catherine Coulter were her favorite authors. Cathy loved her television time—JAG, Diagnosis Murder, Murder She Wrote, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and Judge Judy were her favorites.
Cathy O’Keefe was a kind soul with a quick wit, great intelligence and the Irish gift of gab. She was a wonderful mother and mother-in-law; a cherished grandmother and “Momo” to all the kids who were lucky enough to have known her. She was Super Aunt to her nieces and nephews and she was always your loyal friend.
All in all, Cathy had a wonderful life filled with people she loved and who loved her back immensely. We are consoled with the knowledge that she was met at Heaven’s Gates by her husband Jerry, and her siblings John, Jean and Patsy. The gang from the Shamrock Club was surely there too, dearest Pat and Joe Phelan and Betty and Tom Atkinson and all her friends and family who went to Our Lord before her. May they all rest in heavenly peace.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the charity of your choice or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research would be appreciated. Donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation can be made through www.michaeljfox.org or by US Mail to
Donation Processing
The Michael J. Fox Foundation
P.O. Box 5014
Hagerstown, MD 21741