BILOXI, Miss. (AP) – Former Biloxi, Mississippi, Mayor Jerry O’Keefe, who received the Congressional Gold Medal for his service as a fighter pilot in World War II, died Tuesday. He was 93.
A granddaughter, Justice O’Keefe Duhon, told The Associated Press that he died early Tuesday.
As a young Marine pilot, O’Keefe shot down seven Japanese airplanes, The Sun-Herald reported (http://bit.ly/2beknDB ).
He worked with his family’s funeral business after World War II. In 1958, he bought Bradford Funeral Service and merged it with the family business to create Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home. He also founded Gulf National Life Insurance Co. in 1958.
O’Keefe was elected to the Mississippi House in 1959 and served four years, then was elected Biloxi mayor in 1973 and served eight years.