KEEFE, Kathleen Mary
Kathleen Mary, born in December 1945, to John E. Keefe and wife Gertrude in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, passed away on Thursday, November 23, 2023. She was a child, a sister, a mother, and a grandmother for all the ages – lively and generous with her time, energy, and knowledge. She was an adventurer, and she was devoted to her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed her work, travel, reading, tennis, and shopping. She was smart, curious, fiercely independent, resilient (viewing challenges as opportunity for growth rather than setbacks), forgiving, a resister of rules, open-minded, optimistic, loyal, and honest.
Smart and a quick learner, especially in math, Kathleen shined academically in grade school and high school while also playing sports, babysitting, and working in other local jobs. Kathleen attended and graduated from Framingham Teachers College (now Framingham State University) and taught grade school in Arlington, Massachusetts, and Morristown, New Jersey.
Kathleen married, had two wonderful sons, and, in time, went to work at Bell Laboratories/Lucent Technologies for nearly 20 years, earning a master’s degree in computer science from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, along the way. She excelled as a computer programmer at a time when few women worked in the field. She travelled back and forth to Europe, testing equipment for Lucent, and as a tourist on those trips she explored new places, met different people, and immersed herself in different cultures.
Even after retiring from Lucent, Kathleen remained a voracious reader and dedicated herself to continuing her education, taking classes in such varied subjects as medical coding and paralegal studies. She was blessed with two grandchildren, and she enjoyed following their exploits in sports and theater.
Kathleen was predeceased by her father, John; her mother, Gertrude; her brother, Tom; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. She will be dearly missed by her sons, Bryan and Bob; by her daughters-in-law Justine and Michelle; by her grandchildren, Noah and Ruthie; by siblings Jack, Jan, Betsy, David, Stephen, and Diane; and by many friends and neighbors.
A Celebration of Kathleen’s Life will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 11am, at the Red Lion Inn in Cohasset, with a luncheon to follow immediately afterward. In lieu of flowers, donations to Susan G. Komen and/or the American Diabetes Association would be greatly appreciated.
May she rest in peace.