Marian K. O’Keefe (nee; Marion A. Kremer),age 89, born October 5,1934 in Roslindale, Mass. to Frank G. and Lillian (Sweet) Kremer.
Graduated from Mission High School, and Boston State Teacher’s College (now part of UMass Boston). Played Catcher on First National Bank of Boston’s city softball championship team. An avid Red Sox fan, she met her husband Tim at Fenway Park.
Marian had a deep love of state and local history, co-authoring the award winning ‘Norwich Historic Homes and Families’. ‘Then and Now’ books on Derby and Ansonia, co-authored booklets on three ambassadors from Derby, CT including David Humphries appointed by George Washington as the very first ambassador, Henry Sanford, ambassador to the court of Leopold III of Belgium, and Ebenezer Bassett, our first black ambassador.
This last booklet led to Bassett’s recognition as a trailblazer and a building named in his honor at Central Connecticut State University.
She published numerous articles, brochures and calanders for historical organizations and provided research and photos to authors of more than seventy-five books and papers.
An avid photographer, her architectural photos of Norwich, CT. have been exhibited at the Slater Museum at least five times since 1976. After working at Duke Homestead in Durham, N.C. she was a consultant with the MacDonald Stuart Foundation in Montreal, accessioning tobacco figures.
She gave numerous lectures domestically, several in Norwich, England, in Ireland and two at the Kostroma Institute on the Volga River.
Her comedian’s sense of timing made her lectures memorable and entertaining.
She served as curator for both the Derby, CT. and Seymour, CT. Historical Societies and had a twenty-five year association with the P. T. Barnum Museum where she delivered lectures on his life, his museums and the circus to numerous groups and organizations.
She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Timothy Jr. and children Timothy III, Brian, Kathleen, Terence, and Kevin (Maureen) granddaughter Endya Tipler, nephews Bill Wheeler, and Paul Wheeler (Patty).
On Wednesday April 17 the funeral will leave the Bennett Funeral Home at 10:45 to go to the Church of the Assumption Mass for a Mass of Christian Burial Christian Burial at 11am.
Interment will be on Thursday April 18, at noon in Mt. Benedict Cemetery West Roxbury, MA. Calling hours will be on Tuesday April 16 from 6 – 8p.m. in the Bennett Funeral Home 91 N. Cliff St. Ansonia. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the School Sisters of Notre Dame in care of the Funeral Home
