Peter B. Keefe

Peter Benjamin Keefe, 82, of New Hartford, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 6, 2025 at St. Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport after a brief illness. He was married to Mary Lou (Chamberlin) Keefe and was her beloved husband for 57 years and they had resided in New Hartford for 54 years.
Peter was born in Torrington on Dec. 1, 1942; the son of the late Edward Keefe and Dorothy (Haldeman) Keefe. He grew up in Winchester and attended The Gilbert School and was a graduate of the University of Connecticut in 1967, where he was a member and President of the Sigma Chi fraternity, majored in Spanish Literature and he became fluent and mastered several languages as they came so naturally to him.
He was a highly respected licensed land surveyor for over 50 years in CT, he also held licenses in surrounding states and was the owner of Keefe Land Surveying in Winsted.
Peter was a proud father who affectionately referred to his 3 children as his "3 diamonds." He was sadly predeceased by his eldest son and business partner, Jason Keefe, just 6 weeks prior in November 2024 which brought him much grief. He leaves behind his fraternal twins, Megan Keefe (wife Lisa Marecki) of Barkhamsted and son Jonathan Keefe (wife Emily Hall Keefe) and their daughters, Dory and Willa Keefe, all of Belchertown, MA. He also leaves behind his granddaughters, Molly and Addison Keefe, and their mother Marie (Prelli) Keefe, of Barkhamsted. In addition, he leaves his only sibling, his brother Wayne Keefe and his wife Patricia Keefe, of Winchester and many extended family members and friends.
In his younger years, Peter was very involved in community theater having been the stage manager for many local musical productions. He also sponsored and played for the Keefe Land Surveyor men's softball and volleyball recreation league teams in Winsted for many years in his 30's and 40's. The family would take summer vacations to Cape Cod every year and built many wonderful family traditions. Peter was a tremendous supporter of his 3 kid's activities and tried to attend every single game they ever played.
Peter was a long-time loyal member of St. Andrews Masonic Lodge in Winsted and an affiliate member of Village Lodge in Collinsville. He had been Master several times and was previously a District Deputy. Peter was highly involved in the Subordinate and Pomona Grange, where he was a past Master of each, and he was General Deputy of State Grange. He was also a member of the Oddfellows and was formally a Rotarian.
In his spare time, Peter loved to play guitar, listen to many genres of music, he read hundreds of books and had many talents including being able to remember and sometimes recite verbatim almost everything he ever read and learned. He was also a devoted UCONN Women's Basketball fan. He also loved bird watching, read many bird books and fed them daily in his back yard. He also loved nature and being in the outdoors. He had a witty personality and had a knack of always making everyone feel good and everyone loved him. He will be missed forever.
Calling hours will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at Montano-Shea Funeral Home, 922 Main Street, Winsted from 3 - 6 PM. A funeral service to include a Masonic service, followed by a burial in the Winchester Center Cemetery, will be held in the spring at a date to be announced. Visit an online guestbook at montano-shea.com.