Parpasri O'Keefe
Parpasri O'Keefe, nee Pattumma, 72, of Belleville, IL passed away on July 7, 2020, in her home with her family. She was a much-loved wife, strict and focused mother, super indulgent grandmother and honored sister. She will be remembered and respected for her big smile and her even bigger heart.
Parpasri, known to friends and family as Dang, was born on August 13, 1947 in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand to Kaew and Suan Pattumma. She was the 2nd of 9 brothers and sisters and graduated from the Satrisakonrat School with a focus on education. She worked many years in the Thai school system as a teacher before moving to Nakornpanom to work at the American Military Camp where she met and married the love of her life, Jim O'Keefe. They were married on July 8, 1973 and shared 47 years of memories. From the day of her marriage she embraced the life of an Air Force Spouse and helped and supported Jim in his 25-year Air Force career. She was blessed to live in many places but always talked highly of her time and friends she met in Northern California, England, and Spain. With her easy-going smile and her penchant for a good story, she easily met friends and will be mourned by many people around the world. After her and Jim's retirement, they enjoyed living and traveling in their RV and especially loved to spend their winter months in San Diego, California and Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Dang loved to help people live a full life and always loved to give her advice, at times unsolicited, on the strengths of having good energy and keeping a positive attitude. Her true talent was always getting to know enough about the person to tell them how, and most importantly, why they were lucky in life. If you had no luck, she sure could tell you how to find it. She truly lived behind her Buddhist upbringing and infused her friends, family and children with her strong religious beliefs and constant prayers to Buddha for a good life, good jobs and good future. She was a captivating story teller and loved exaggerating a story with her arms, body movements and a twinkle in her eye. She loved to laugh and have others laugh not only at her but with her. She will be known and missed for her amazing cooking…especially her egg rolls, love of animals…. real and stuffed, watching animal planet, any and all cooking shows and of course her very great love of red wine.
Dang is survived by her husband, Jim O'Keefe; daughters, Judy Tida O'Keefe, Denise O'Keefe (son-in-law, Karl Heuring); a son, Renex O'Keefe (daughter-in-law, Kate O'Keefe); her 7 grandchildren, Renex Johnson (28) (granddaughter-in-law, Mia Bilotti), Cheryl-Anne Johnson (22), Donovan O'Keefe (14), Noah Heuring (13), Eli Heuring (10), Lydia O'Keefe (7) and Barrett O'Keefe (4), and 2 great grandchildren, Xander Johnson (4) and Easton Johnson (3).
Memorial donations may be made to The Cherokee Buddhist Temple, 2830-32 Cherokee Street, St. Louis, MO 63318. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.rennerfh.com.