Rosemarie O’Keefe, the firebrand activist whose civic career took her from her quaint Bay Ridge block to the city’s rarefied halls of power, died July 17 at Calvary Hospital’s Brooklyn campus. She was 65 years old. The cause of death was cancer, according to her husband, Bill.
Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, O’Keefe was the daughter of Charles Dowe, the manager at the old Brooklyn Paramount Theatre in Downtown Brooklyn. Her mother, Sally, was an accomplished seamstress. O’Keefe, whose family moved to Brooklyn when she was young girl, attended Fort Hamilton High School. After graduation, she went to work for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Twenty-five years ago, her husband recalled, O’Keefe was compelled to act when the city hatched a plan to install parking meters along 75th Street in Bay Ridge — the block where she and her husband lived. The plan was promptly stymied: Thanks to her undeterred intervention, the block remained meter-free. “We won,” Bill said.
A talent for coordinating people took shape early on, her husband said. O’Keefe was the co-founder and former president of the Alliance of Bay Ridge Block Associations, an umbrella organization dedicated to preserving the area’s quality of life. “She had a knack for getting things done,” he said.
Her abilities were recognized by City Hall. She was the former commissioner of the Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit, where she earned a reputation for her compassionate work with victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.She also served as a member of former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s administration as the deputy commissioner for recreation, and was recently credited by Giuliani for trying to revive the Republican party in a borough dominated by Democrats.
At her memorial service at St. Anselm Roman Catholic Church, the pews filled with friends, family and local dignitaries, including Giuliani and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“While most New Yorkers remember Rosemarie as Mayor Giuliani’s dedicated and tireless commissioner of the Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit, I personally will never forget the help she gave me when I was first starting out in public service,” Bloomberg said. Rosemarie touched the lives of countless New Yorkers, often during our city’s most trying moments and in the aftermath of our most profound tragedies.”
“After Sept. 11, she established the center to help victims’ families, and worked with extreme care and deep sympathy to make sure everything that could be done was done. Always, she sought out New Yorkers, heard their needs and, with uncommon dedication, acted to improve their lives,” the mayor added.
In 2001, O’Keefe was asked by CNN about her work with victims’ families. “You just sort of become their extended family; and we share so many things,” she said at the time. “For the entire amount of time that we’ve been together with the families, it has just been one large community, just helping and supporting.”
In 2003, she narrowly lost a special election for the 43rd Council District to Vincent Gentile.“While we were from different political parties, she and I were always on the same page when it came to putting community first and doing what was in the community’s best interest,” Gentile said.
State Senator Martin Golden recalled O’Keefe as “one of the most dedicated public servants I have ever met.”
“I am grateful to have had the privilege of working with Rosemarie O’Keefe for many years towards the betterment of our community. Be it clean-ups on our avenues or in our parks, or fighting against crime or graffiti, or working on issues related to our community’s zoning, Roe was everywhere and did everything for the good of the neighborhood,” Golden said.
While she could be — and often needed to be — forceful, Bill said, his wife of 34 years had a distinctly feminine side. “She was always a lady,” he said.
Rosemarie O’Keefe is survived by her husband Bill; sister Sandy and two nephews and two nieces. She was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery.
