April 10, 1927 – Dec. 20, 2017

By Mary O’KEEFE

It is with a heavy heart that our family shares the loss of our mom, Becky Keefe, who passed away on Dec. 20 surrounded by family.

Becky was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa on April 10, 1927. Throughout her life she faced the fates by taking a deep breath, shedding tears – whether happy or sad – and displaying a strength that she never realized she had.

A child of the Depression, she learned to work hard at a very young age. She began working at Northwestern Bell, later AT&T, when she was 16. She worked as an operator where she met life-long friends Elda Ferryman and Mildred Thornbury. She and Mildred were friends for over 70 years and talked almost everyday on the phone until Becky’s passing. She retired from the telephone company in 1992.

She met our dad, Don, in Oskaloosa. Their relationship was a rollercoaster ride. After 23 years of marriage, they divorced. Mom and her son Jeff moved to Phoenix to be close to her brother, Jack Richmond, and Dad stayed in Iowa. After 12 years of separation, they remarried just before their first grandchild, Charly, was born.

Becoming grandparents was one of their greatest joys. As Grammy and Papo, the couple traveled with me on location as I worked in the fashion industry. They were at every important event of their grandchildren’s lives – from baseball games to karate matches, from dance performances to track meets. They were also there for their son-in-law Mark when he worked in the film business, even traveling to California where they watched him get set on fire for a stunt.

After Papo passed in 2006, Grammy doubled her grandparent duty. Most recently she was able to travel with the family to Pennsylvania to see granddaughter Molly graduate, to La Crescenta to share in Charly and his wife Sabrina’s wedding, and this year was able to tour granddaughter Jessy’s college in Channel Islands as she began her freshman year.

My mom taught us all to give back to others and during her visits to La Crescenta she flipped pancakes at the Fire House on Thursday mornings, stayed up to help with Prom Plus and, just a few months ago, she attended the Relay for Life of the Foothills meeting.

She never slept, rarely took any time off from work except of course to be with her family and was always there when we needed her. Her favorite saying was “dynamite comes in small packages,” which described her perfectly.

One of her favorite things to do was to travel to Jeff’s home in Sierra Vista, Arizona. She would don her cowboy hat and turquoise jewelry and head to Tombstone for Helldorado Days, which she attended on a regular basis. She also never missed Sierra Vista’s “Art in the Park.” She was a great hostess to the many friends of my brother and his partner Michael when they had barbecues and potluck dinners at Jeff’s house.

Mom’s second career was at Walmart beginning in 1997. She was the smile customers saw when they walked in. She worked as a greeter at the 19th Avenue and Bell Road store until June of this year. She made so many friends, not only with her co-workers but also with customers. She could remember their birthdays, surgeries, kids and grandkids. She loved her Walmart family who were so kind to her and stood by her to the end.

Mom and I were close, especially after I had children, but my brother and mom had a special bond that no one could break. Jeff and Mom were a team that packed up their lives and moved to Arizona. They saw each other through the good and the bad times, and it was Jeff who was holding her hand as she crossed over.

After Mom’s passing, my cousin Karen shared her feelings about my Mom that has helped me get through these past few days. She told me Mom had left the legacy of family. Karen told me she loved coming over to our home because the door was always open. Dad would often bring home people that were in need; Mom would make sure they had a good meal and together they would help so many. Karen said the sense of family was always at the foundation of everything we did and, as she said, she felt it was a mother’s job to keep the family together and strong despite what life throws in our paths. And I agree; Mom leaves a family that is close and strong.

I am so grateful for the lessons she taught me. Mom took me to psychics and church. She taught me that stereotypes are meant to be broken, that you can be a strong woman and a “lady” at the same time. And I learned that family is the foundation where strength is found.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mom’s memory can be made to Prom Plus, P.O. Box 851, Verdugo City, CA 91046.