JOSEPH A. KEEFE

KEEFE, Joseph A. Natick educator and community activist, died on March 3, 2025. He was 93. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Barbara A. Keefe, staunch partner. He was the father of Karla Keefe (Thomas Hourihan), Kristine Van Amsterdam (John) and Kerry Keefe-Carney (Peter Carney). He was the grandfather of Katrina Van Amsterdam (Matt Bailey-Adams), Juliana Van Amsterdam (Amiel Jaggernauth), Olivia Van Amsterdam and Megan Carney. He was the great-grandfather of Charlotte and Hazel Bailey-Adams. His brother, Robert Keefe and wife, Lucy of Blackstone also survive him. He was the proud uncle of many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Virginia Coia. Keefe was born in Cumberland, Rhode Island, son of the late Joseph and Lillian Keefe, in 1931 at the height of the Great Depression. He graduated Cumberland High School, Class of 1948 as its class president. He graduated from Rhode Island College and entered the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Stationed in Tokyo, he served in an intelligence office. Following his military service, he went on to earn masters and doctorate degrees from Boston University. His career in education spanned more than 55 years. He was a teacher in Rhode Island and Natick, principal in Natick, Deputy Superintendent in Worcester and Superintendent of Schools in Natick. He served in the latter position for 20 years, the longest tenure of any person who filled the role in its 150-year history. Following his retirement from that position, he assumed the role of Executive Director of the Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives. He served this organization for 13 years. That role was followed by service as interim superintendent in Natick. In his 25-tenure as Natick Superintendent, he introduced full day kindergarten classes in the late 1960s, promoted the METCO program as well as the Parents Coordinating Council and guided the system and the School Committee through the implementation of Proposition 2½. This referendum question created significant changes in the funding of school systems across the state. He oversaw dramatic declining enrollment that required the closing of several schools and reductions in staffing. He was the architect of what is the current grade configuration of the school system. He was Trustee Emeritus of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts and served as the Executive Director of Walnut Hill during two academic years, a culminating life experience for him. He served as a member of the Institutional Review Board of the MetroWest Medical Center for more than 30 years, a role he cherished. It oversaw all medical studies conducted in that and affiliated hospitals pursuant to Federal law. He served his community for 21 years as a town meeting member and for 33 years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Morse Institute Library. He served as its president for 14 years. A member of the Rotary Club of Natick since 1977, he was secretary of the Club for 20 years. He was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was one of the four founders of Leadership MetroWest in 1986. The organization has flourished for more than 39 years. The Leadership Academy provides advanced forms of leadership training to individuals from the region's communities. The Natick School Committee honored his contribution to the system by naming the Performing Arts Center at the Wilson Middle School in his name in 2005. For his efforts on behalf of the establishment of the Natick Education Foundation, the organization presented him with its first Shining Light Educator Award in 2005. The Morse Institute Library Trustees recently named its new Bookmobile in his honor. Having known each other for 70 years, he and his wife often compared their married years to a Route 66 adventure. They saw it as an exceptional experience of working together. He took great pride in the lives that his daughters have lived. He also was buoyed by the successes achieved by his granddaughters. He tried to live by the Rotary credo "Service Above Self." Visiting Hours are Friday, March 7, from 4:00-8:00 pm, at John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, at Natick Common, 4 Park Street, NATICK, MA 01760. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 44 East Central Street, Natick, MA 01760, on Saturday, March 8, at 10:00 am. Family and friends are invited to attend. Interment to follow at St. Patrick's Cemetery, 180 Pond Street, Natick. Donations in Joseph's memory may be made to the Morse Institute Library Children's Department or the Walnut Hill School for the Arts. For directions and guest book, please visit www.everettfuneral.coM John Everett & Sons Natick 508 653 4342

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