UPDATE MAY 6: Funeral service information for Monsignor Richard O'Keeffe, who passed away last week after more than six decades serving Roman Catholics in Yuma and southern Arizona, has been announced.
The Catholic Outlook, the newspaper for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, announced that visitation for Msgr. O’Keeffe will begin May 12 at 7 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 505 South Ave. B, Yuma, followed by rosary at 7:30 p.m. Visitation will continue until 9 p.m. There will be two funeral Masses May 13 in the church at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
O'Keeffe was born in April 1935 in Kildare, Ireland. He was assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception in 1972, before he took over as pastor nine years later. In 2001, Msgr. O’Keeffe was named Episcopal Vicar of Yuma-La Paz. He retired as pastor in 2010.
O'Keeffe served as a chaplain at the Yuma Proving Ground. Besides Yuma, he also served at diocesan parishes and schools in Tucson, Douglas, San Manuel and Willcox.
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(original story from May 3)
Catholic Community Services in Yuma has announced that Monsignor Richard O’Keeffe, who served the Roman Catholic community in Yuma for more than 60 years, passed away Thursday.
Msgr. O’Keeffe was the retired pastor of the Immaculate Conception Parish and was named Episcopal Vicor, Pastor Emeritus following his retirement.
O’Keeffe was a friend of parishioners and politicians alike. He was a strong supporter of Catholic Community Services and Yuma Catholic High School.
He had been recovering in recent years in area rehabilitation facilities from an accidental hit by a player during a Yuma Catholic football game in 2012.
