Photo: Boston Police

Name: John J. O’Keefe, III

Death: 29 January, 2022

• 6’2”; 217lbs.
• 16 year veteran of the Boston Police Department.
• Raising his niece & nephew following the death of his sister (brain tumour, 2013) and her husband (heart attack, 2 months later.)
• Karen Read had been his girlfriend of 2 years.
  • They had dated previously in their 20s; reconnected on social media.
  • Became serious in 2019, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Well liked in the community.

John was not only a dedicated police officer, he was an exemplary guardian, son, brother, uncle and friend and we were so fortunate to have him as a part of our lives. When John’s sister passed away, and then her husband did as well a short time later, John welcomed the opportunity to raise his beloved niece and nephew and build a home and a life around their needs. People talk about someone who would give you the shirt off their back but that was truly who John was, and it is heartbreaking for us to suddenly be talking about him in the past tense.

—Statement released by the O’Keefe’s family several days following his death.

Family Members