Boston Police officer found dead in last weekend’s blizzard set to be laid to rest

BOSTON — Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe will be laid to rest in his hometown of Braintree.

According to his obituary, O’Keefe’s family and friends are invited to St. Francis of Assisi Church on Washington Street for a wake Sunday followed by a funeral mass and burial Monday.

“A devoted son, brother, uncle, godfather, cousin, and friend, John will be sorely missed by all who were blessed to have known him,” the obituary states.

The obituary says O’Keefe graduated from Braintree High School then went on to study at Northeastern University. He later earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts and served as a Boston Police officer for 16 years.

O’Keefe adopted his niece and nephew after his sister died of a brain tumor in 2013, and her husband died of a heart attack a short time later. A Go Fund Me Page for the children has already raised more than $228,000.

O’Keefe’s girlfriend Karen Read is charged with his death. Investigators said O’Keefe’s body was found in a snowbank outside a Canton home early in the morning of Jan. 29. He had several injuries, including skull fractures and signs of hypothermia.

Police said Read was dropping O’Keefe off at a party around midnight after a night of drinking. When she turned her SUV around, she allegedly rammed into O’Keefe before driving away.

Read’s attorney said she loved O’Keefe and didn’t realize she had hit him with her car. Read has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including manslaughter. She is due back in court on March 1.

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