Thomas J Keefe, Jr.

A longtime resident of Peace Dale, Thomas Joseph Keefe, Jr., was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on April 7, 1942. He grew up in Medford, Cambridge, and summered in Hampton Beach. He was the son of Thomas Joseph Keefe, Sr., and Helen Marie Corcoran and was predeceased by his beloved wife of 49 years, Margaret “Mimi” Johnson Keefe. He is survived by his sons, Thomas Edward Keefe and Michael Stephen Keefe of Peace Dale; his grandchildren, Thomas John Keefe of Colorado and Grace Elizabeth Keefe of Massachusetts; his loving sister Ann McKeon of New Hampshire and her husband, John McKeon; his loving sister-in-law Kathleen Johnson of Connecticut; his brother-in-law Alfonso Webb, Sr.; his sister-in-law Jane Doris Keefe of Florida; his former sister-in-law Judy Keefe of New Hampshire; his many nephews and nieces (his goddaughter Eva McLoughlin, Beth Keefe, Alfonso Webb, Jr., William Keefe, Margaret Zilke, Melissa McKeon, and Meghan Brower), as well as numerous grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins

He attended Lowell Tech from 1959-1963, graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He then enrolled in grad school at the University of Rhode Island. A year or two later, while hanging out at the URI Library, he met a young professor of library sciences. Mom and Dad married on October 29, 1966, in New Britain, Connecticut, and were married for 49 years.

Tom received his M.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 1965 and continued his postgraduate work on Extremely Low-Frequency electric fields (ELF). In September 1976, he was hired full-time at Rhode Island Junior College (now CCRI), where he taught physics, electrical engineering, and astronomy for 35 years and retired as a full professor; at his retirement, he was named Professor Emeritus from the Community College of Rhode Island.

Tom was an admirer of St. Francis, Martín de Porres, John F. Kennedy, and Robert Frost. He enjoyed puns, one-liners, and witty banter. He also loved crossword puzzles, computer coding, and sudoku. If Thomas Joseph Keefe, Jr. had a motto, it would have been “Faith, Family, and Suduku.”

Visiting hours will be held on Friday, September 20th from 4-7 pm in Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield, RI 02879. A Mass of Christian Burial will celebrated on Saturday, September 21st at 10 am in Christ the King Church, 180 Old North Rd., Kingston, RI 02881. Burial will take place at a later date.