Timothy John O’Keefe was born August 21,1939, in Los Angeles to Denis O’Keefe, an Irish immigrant from Co. Cork, Ireland, and Margaret Connolly O’Keefe, whose family also hailed from Co. Cork. He was the youngest; sisters Elizabeth (Bessie) and Nora preceded him. Tim was Irish to the core, warm, humorous, and a great storyteller.
After his family moved to South Pasadena in 1945, Tim attended Holy Family Elementary School and St. Francis High School in LaCanada, CA. Then he came north to St. Mary’s College, Moraga, where he received a B.A. in 1961. He finished a Ph.D. in European history at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, in 1968.
In June 1965 with all but his doctoral dissertation completed, Tim accepted a one-year contract to teach history at Santa Clara University. He was hired into a permanent position the following year when the ailing history professor he had replaced, Fr. Joseph Brusher, S.J., was unable to return to teaching duties. A “sad but lucky break,” Tim always said. He made his life at Santa Clara, retiring as an Emeritus Professor in 2010.
Tim held many administrative positions during his 45-year career at SCU. He was Chair of the History Department, a Division Director, an Acting Dean of Arts & Sciences, and a Director of Santa Clara’s summer program in Durham, England. His research interests included the contributions of Irish and Irish-American artists. He co-authored books on the Irish in the Bay Area and on Sen. James Phelan and the history of Villa Montalvo. But his great love was teaching, and he never failed to put students first. Tim received the Brutocao Award for Teaching Excellence in 1989.
Tim’s greatest love was his family. He and wife Julia Wiedel (SCU ‘67) met at Santa Clara and married in 1968. They shared their love of history and culture with four children, Colin, Kara, Timothy B., and Mairead, and eventually with nine grandchildren. They traveled widely and often, frequently visiting historical sites in western Europe, but also venturing into Asia and North Africa. On three occasions, they moved the family to Italy for an academic year while Tim taught at Loyola University of Chicago’s Rome Center. During one of these European excursions, all six camped for two months on their way from Italy to the British Isles, then spent a term in Dublin where Tim worked at the National Library.
Tim was a loving father and an exacting, caring teacher. He never lost his zest for learning or travel or for sharing history and culture with family and students. He died June 10, 2022, as he lived, at peace with himself, surrounded by family.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Mission Santa Clara at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 17, 2022.
Last known contact information: 2230 Bohannon Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95050 tokeefe@scu.edu 408-241-0491 408-554-4179