Career
He is also a lifelong philanthropist and contributor to his community. O"Keefe enlisted in the United States. Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served from 1942-1943. Then he became a fighter pilot with the United States. Marine Corps from 1943-1945.
He was a 1st Lieutenant with the VMF-323 Marine Squadron, known as the "Death Rattlers".
He gained recognition for his contributions to an dogfight in Okinawa on April 22, 1945 in which he shot down five Japanese Kamikazes, becoming an ace in a single day. (This action was chronicled on the Dogfight television series, the episode "Supersonic".
On April 28 Lieutenant O"Keefe shot down another two enemy planes bringing his total victories to seven which made him the highest scoring ace in Okinawa at the time.
Jerry O"Keefe and his family have owned O"Keefe Funeral Homes since the early 1900s. In 1957 he bought his major competitor"s business, creating Bradford-O"Keefe Funeral Homes.
He also founded a life insurance company, Gulf National Life. He and fellow plaintiffs were awarded $500 million in damages, a sum that would have bankrupted the defendant.
O"Keefe eventually settled for a significantly lower sum.
Jerry O"Keefe was elected to the Mississippi State Legislature in 1960 for one term, ending 1964. He served as the Chairman of the "Temperance Committee", fighting for liquor legalization, on a local-option basis, in Mississippi, the last remaining "dry" state in the nation. In his freshman year he was named one of four most outstanding legislators for his service.
After completing his term in office, he returned to his business and civic activities.
He later was elected the Mayor of Biloxi, Mississippi for two terms from 1973 to 1981. Jerry O"Keefe was a major financial contributor and fundraiser for both the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Artist
O"Keefe has long been active in a variety of civic organizations. In 1967 and 1975, he was honored by the United Fund Campaign for Distinguished Service to the people of Harrison County.
