Mary Lou Tuttle

Mary Louise (O'Keefe) Tuttle of Salem, MA and Naples, FL, loving wife, mother, aunt and grandmother, passed away peacefully on November 11 at the age of 83. Mary Lou was born on June 26, 1940 in Salem, the oldest of five children of Richard B. "Mike" O'Keefe and Helene (Reddy) O'Keefe. She attended the St. James elementary school, St. James High School and the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). A strong proponent of education, after her three children were born, she went on to earn a Masters in American Studies from Salem State University.
A lifelong resident of Salem, Mary Lou began her career as a schoolteacher in the Salem school system and later worked as an accountant for Robert F. Cummings, CPA, Micrion, Commonwealth Ambulance and O'Keefe Chevrolet. Instilled with a keen sense of fairness and social justice, she was politically active and community-focused throughout her life. She served as a board member of the Salem League of Women Voters and on Salem's Democratic City Committee. She was also a delegate to the Massachusetts Democratic Convention multiple times.
She served for more than a decade as the treasurer of the City of Salem's Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds, helping to oversee funding of need-based grants for city residents, charities, non-profit organizations, parks, cemeteries and fuel assistance programs. She was also a committee member for the Richard B. "Mike" O'Keefe Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was named for her father and is awarded to Salem residents.
She loved to travel and experience different cultures – family vacations on Cape Cod and in New Hampshire and Maine, weddings in Paris and Costa Rica, graduations in Scotland, excursions to Australia and Ecuador, and a magical trip to Ireland where she celebrated her 70th birthday with family at Dromoland Castle. But her favorite trips by far were the times she took her grandchildren to Disney World. She was without a doubt a world champion Nana, delighting with pride in the many accomplishments of Libby, Annie, Will, Lucy and Charlie.
She loved to dance at weddings, especially in a circle with her sisters, children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren, usually inspired by anything from the Mamma Mia soundtrack. She was fiercely loyal to both family and friends and she treasured her time with her bridge group and "Club". She enjoyed games of all types, and her competitive nature and sharp wit would often surface in family games of pitch, whist and hearts.
Mary Lou leaves behind her devoted husband Paul; her three sons, Chip (Leslie) of Peaks Island, ME, Greg of Culver City, CA, and Mark (Mary) of Salem; her five grandchildren, Elisabeth Tuttle Duran of Atenas, Costa Rica; Anne Tuttle of Edinburgh, Scotland, William Tuttle of Brookline, MA, Lucy Tuttle, a senior at New York University, and, Charles Tuttle, a sophomore at Boston University; her sister Joanne Ricciardiello of Naples, FL; her brother Michael O'Keefe of Venice, FL; and, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Ellen and Paul Kennedy of Salem. She was pre-deceased by her sisters Judith Kidney and Katherine O'Leary.
Visiting hours will be from 4-7 PM on Thursday, November 16 at Murphy's Funeral Home in Salem. Following a private burial, a celebration of Mary Lou's life for family and friends will be held at 12:15 PM on Friday, November 17 at Salem Country Club.
In lieu of flowers, to honor Mary Lou, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or to the Richard B. "Mike" O'Keefe Memorial Scholarship Fund. Please direct gifts to the Salem State University Alumni Association and Foundation, 352 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA 01970, or online at http://participate.salemstate.edu/Tuttle. For more information and online guestbook, please call Murphy Funeral Home at 978-744-0497 or visit www.MurphyFuneralHome.com.
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