Jeremiah Joseph ""Jerry"" O'Keefe, III, 93, of Biloxi, MS died August 23, 2016. Mr. O'Keefe was born in Ocean Springs, MS in 1923 and was schooled at St. Alphonsus Elementary School and later Sacred Heart Academy in Biloxi.
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Jerry enlisted, hoping to become a pilot. He received his wings from the U.S. Marines in May, 1943. In 1944, before leaving for his assignment with the Pacific Fleet, he married his childhood sweetheart, Annette Saxon, and started what would be a family of thirteen children.
During combat, Jerry earned the status of 'ace' fighter pilot and was later awarded the US Navy Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, Gold Star and, in 2015, the Congressional Gold Medal for American Aces. Jeremiah J. O’Keefe, shot down seven Japanese pilots in one week in World War II.