NANCY Q. KEEFE

(The following was written by Ruth Bass and appears here courtesy of the Berkshire Eagle)

(March 13, 2004) Nancy Quirk Keefe, 69, longtime newspaper editor and columnist, died Wednesday evening of breast cancer while being taken by ambulance from her Larchmont, N.Y., home to a hospital in New Rochelle.

A native of Pittsfield, Keefe was an award-winning journalist whose career included positions at The Berkshire Eagle, the New York World Telegram and Sun and, more recently, the Gannett newspapers in Westchester County, N.Y.

Top columnist in New York

For her column in the Westchester Rockland Newspapers, which also ran in The Eagle, she was named top columnist by the New York State Associated Press Association in 1983 among New York state newspapers with a circulation of more than 125,000.

Keefe spent the major part of her newspaper career with the Gannett newspapers, starting in 1976 as Sunday coordinator for the former Standard-Star in New Rochelle, N.Y., and ending as a three-times-a-week columnist for what is now The Journal News. She retired in 1998.

She was assistant telegraph editor at The Eagle prior to her marriage on Oct. 3, 1959, to Kevin Brian Keefe, who survives her. She also worked briefly as an advertising copy writer for radio station WBEC, which at that time was owned by The Eagle.

Keefe's straightforward approach to issues, her honest criticism of those in power, her intrepid defense of those without power and her sense of humor were hallmarks of her work as editorial page editor for The Journal News and as a columnist. She regularly took on politicians, the Catholic Church and all those whose views reflected any kind of bigotry or attempts to leash freedom of speech or freedom of the press.

A devout Catholic, she was a Eucharistic minister and a lector at the College of New Rochelle, even as she took strong stands against some church policies. Her pro-choice stand on abortion brought criticism from the late Cardinal John J. O'Connor, but her husband said the two reached some kind of reconciliation prior to the cardinal's death.

As news of her death spread, tributes poured in from people all over the country.

Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo called her "tough," and remarked that "she was very tough on me," adding that her criticisms were always honest and, in his case, correct as well. He considered her a friend, as did many other politicians, including those she called to task for stances and actions she did not like.

She was a longtime member and former director of the National Conference of Editorial Writers and gleaned inspiration from her peers at their meetings. She was one of a handful of award-winning editorial writers chosen by those peers to write a chapter in the book, "Beyond Argument: A Handbook for Editorial Writers."

Members of the group from Omaha to Roanoke, Va., posted their tributes this week on their Internet site. Among the comments was, "What a pugnacious advocate, what a sharp wit ... May she rest in peace, but my guess is she's about to make St. Peter's life a heck of a lot more interesting -- and agreeable."

In a special tribute, longtime friend and radio executive William O'Shaughnessy of radio station WVOX in New Rochelle called her "a brilliant social commentator. She loved the little people. And what a contagious fury she directed to their betters."

Keefe was born Nov. 20, 1934, daughter of John and Ann O'Laughlin Quirk. Her father was employed at The Eagle in those early days, and her mother was later a copy editor for The Eagle. When Keefe was 9, she submitted her first story to The Eagle and was paid $1 for it.

With a lifelong love of the Berkshires, Keefe returned each year for the Quirk family's Fourth of July picnic, held last summer for the 61st time. She spoke often of her grandfather, Jack O'Laughlin, who brought a trolley car to North Street, set it up by the railroad tracks near Eagle Street and opened the Bridge Lunch, where Keefe was often among those perched on the diner's stools, as a child and as an adult.

Summer in Stockbridge

In recent years, she and her husband spent much of the summer at a cottage on Stockbridge Bowl, walking to concerts at Tanglewood. As a member of the Stockbridge Golf Club, she continued to play as many holes as her waning strength permitted, right through last summer.

As a Pittsfield High student, she edited the award-winning Student's Pen. After her graduation in 1952, she earned her bachelor's degree at the College of New Rochelle and her master's at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, where she received the coveted Red Apple Award for being the best reporter in the class.

That was the first in a long string of professional and community recognitions. She received the Quill Award for Professional Achievement from Mercy College, the Angela Merici Medal from the College of New Rochelle and the John Peter Zenger Award from the Westchester Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

She was named to the Westchester County/Avon Women's Hall of Fame and at her retirement received the Distinguished Community Relations Award of the Westchester Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

WestHELP of Mount Vernon honored her two years of editorials supporting transitional housing for the homeless by naming its first such housing complex the Nancy Q. Keefe Center. She also served on the committee that established the Westchester Holocaust Memorial.

In her leisure time, Keefe was an avid reader, played tennis and golf, ran, traveled extensively and enjoyed cooking, which she considered a perfect way to relieve the stresses of the newsroom. One of her most prized moments on the tennis court was hitting a few balls with Billie Jean King during a trade show at the New York Coliseum in 1973. When she stroked what she called "the backhand of my life," she heard King remark, "Now there's a tennis player."

Her love of words and dedication to putting the right word in the right place gave Keefe an enviable vocabulary, making it no surprise that she was an accomplished finisher of crossword puzzles, including the one in the Sunday New York Times.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989, Keefe wrote freely about her mastectomy and chemotherapy in an attempt to promote research and help those who shared her problem. After more than 10 years without any sign of cancer, the disease returned, and Keefe again began a cycle of radiation, then chemotherapy.

In addition to her husband, Keefe is survived by her children, Brendan Keefe of Northampton, Clare Keefe Coleman of Swarthmore, Pa., and Maura Keefe of Athens, Ohio, and three grandchildren.

FUNERAL NOTICE -- A memorial service for Nancy Quirk Keefe will be held Saturday, March 20, at 11 a.m. at the College of New Rochelle Chapel in New Rochelle, N.Y. There will be no calling hours. As she had wished, her body was donated to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., for research purposes. Survivors include her son-in-law, Philip Coleman, and her three grandchildren, Elizabeth, Matthew and Helen Foster of Swarthmore, Pa. Contributions in Nancy Keefe's name may be made to the College of New Rochelle, 29 Castle Place, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10805, the New Israel Fund, 165 East 56th Street, New York N.Y. 10022, or a charity of the donor's choice.

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