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Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes

Serving Gulf Coast Families For Over 140 Years

Jeffrey O'Keefe
President of Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral Homes

Helping to make the toughest time of your life a little easier.

Since 1865, the O'Keefe family, along with a host of dedicated funeral service professionals, has been serving families of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and beyond. By understanding the legacy of commitment and pride our forefathers took in establishing Bradford O'Keefe, we understand the level of excellence the past demands of us today.

Jeff, a fifth generation funeral director, entered the family business in 1973 while attending Notre Dame High School. He has over 32 years of personal experience in funeral service. Jeff dedicated himself full time to the business upon graduation from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1981. He has remained an active alumnus and was inducted into the USM Hall of Fame in 2004. At the discretion of the Governor, Jeff served on the Mississippi State Board of Funeral Service, which licenses and regulates funeral homes throughout the state of Mississippi. Mr. O'Keefe is a member of numerous civic & business advisory boards in addition to the Mississippi Funeral Directors Association, the National Funeral Directors Association, and the Cremation Society of North America.

Today Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Homes offer five convenient funeral home locations, two cemeteries and Mississippi's first Crematory.

We invite you to our website at www.Bradford-OKeefe.com to learn more about our History, Management, Services, and we encourage the use of our Grief Library.

Most Recently Answered Questions

Questions 1 - 15 of 27 (Page 1 of 2)

Submitted by Mary Ann Cavener from Yuma Co 80759

Q: I am trying to find and obituary for our graunt. Her name was Catherine K Cavender.She lived in Biloxi and pretty sure she is buried in the Biloxi Cemetery but can find no record. Wondering if you could help. She died in 1953.

Answered 07/02/08 12:12:07 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Ms. Cavener: The Sun Herald used to have a archive of their newspaper at the Biloxi Library in which old obituary's could be looked up and copied, however, since Hurricane Katrina, I'm not quite sure how the newspaper is handling the achiving of their records. I would sugget that you make contact directly with them to inquire for a copy of Ms. Cavender's obituary. I hope this is helpful to you. Good Luck Sincerely, Jeffrey H. O'Keefe - President Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes

Submitted by Meg Henson from Bay St Louis, MS

Q: Bradford O'Keefe handled my father's arrangements this past week, and I just want to commend them for the wonderful personal, compassionate and professional service our family received. Thank you.

Answered 06/23/08 20:54:57 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Ms. Henson: We want to thank you for entrusting Bradford-O'Keefe with the priviledge of serving your family in their time of need. Thank you for taking a moment to compliment the staff, your feedback is most appreciated. Please call if we can assist in any matter that concerns you. Yours in Service, Jeffrey H. O'Keefe - President Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes

Submitted by rita greenwell from plano, Texas

Q: Looking for the article on Horace J. Guillotte memorial services.

Answered 06/09/08 20:35:37 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Ms. Greenwell: Thank you for your inquiry. We don't have any articles at our funeral home as such. You may want to check with the Sun Herald directly if it was an article in the newspaper. Please let us know if we can be of further service to you.

Submitted by John A. McCall from Henderson, NV

Q: I have seen information that Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home was responsible for taking care of the remains of Thomas Milton Keeran, who died 17 Feb 1930 in Biloxi, MS. Mr. Keeran was born in OH in 1852. His wife's name was Josephine and was a sister of my maternal grandmother. The purpose of my inquire is to obtain information for my family genealogy. Would it be possible for me to obtain a copy of your records, or a death certificate, or an obituary for him? Sincerely, John A. McCall 1898 Logansport St. Henderson, NV 89052

Answered 05/05/08 13:01:21 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Mr. McCall: Sorry for not being able to get back to you sooner than now. We can only reseach our records when time permits. You may be able to obtain a Certified Copy of Mr. Keeran's death certificate through the Bureau of Vital Statistic's located in Jackson Mississippi. Their address should be obtainable online. I'm not sure how much information would have been pirnted in the local newspaper as Mr. Keeran's remains were shipped back to Weldon Iowa at the direction of Mrs. Josephine Keeran. I do have Mr. Keeran's birthday as Dec. 22nd, 1852 and his Death Date as Feb. 17th, 1930. I also note that Mr. Keeran was a retired farmer and that his fathers name was Thomas Keeran, Sr. That is all the information that we have available at this time. Thank you for your inquiry. Sincerely, Jeffrey H. O'Keefe - President Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes

Submitted by Debbie Benson from Nesbit, MS

Q: Having been interested in the funeral service funeral since the age of 14, I was wondering if you could tell me how does a person really know if this is what that are suited for? I have taken classes for funeral service, but it is very hard for any funeral home to give you a chance if you are not related to someone who owns a funeral home. Any suggestions on this question?

Answered 05/05/08 07:16:30 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Funeral Service employment, particularly in smaller communities can be very stable. Consequently, very little turnover relates to very few employment opportunities. You may well be faced with having to move out of your local area to pursue your interest. I know that is not very convenient when your younger and just beginning to enter the work force, but you ultimately have to go where the jobs are to end up getting your foot in the door. I certainly wish you the best in your endavors and encourage you to continue to pursue your true interest. Sincerely, Jeffrey H. O'Keefe - President Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes

Submitted by Ben Hinton from Gulfport, MS

Q: Hi Jeffery, My question is not concerning your expertise. I am the new local business owner of The Entrepreneur's Source. In my business I coach people (who are interested in exploring career options) evaluate their goals, needs and expectations and discover what self-employment options are right for them. I am considering advertising with the "Ask the Experts" and would like to get your feedback on how it is working for you. Thanks for your time, Ben Hinton

Answered 03/04/08 06:14:23 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Mr. Hinton: I think all advertising is good. I suppose it depends on your desired response to determine if this is the right mode of advertising for you. While we feel this method may not elicit the highest direct response, we feel the exposure using the same is indeed valuable. Each business owner would have to detemine the benefit level of value independently. Obviously we wouldn't be utilizing Ask The Expert if we didn't feel there was adequate value in it. Thank you for your inquiry. Sincerely, Jeffrey H. O'Keefe

Submitted by jill from biloxi

Q: i am looking for information about cremation. how i go about it, what it entails and cost. thank you

Answered 10/10/07 12:10:17 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Jill: Thank you for your inquiry. I would like to direct you to our funeral home website for some expanded information on Cremation. Here are two links to our site for additional information: http://www.bradfordokeefe.com/cremation.php and then http://www.bradfordokeefe.com/crem.php The prices varies depending on the type of services that you would like to consider in addition to the basic cremation process. We do encourage some form of Memorialization to celebrate the life of your loved one. Our basic cremation cost begin at $1,338.00 with a direct cremation package. If we can be more specific in answering any other questions, please don't hesitate to call us directly. Thank you again for your inquiry. Sincerely,

Submitted by Mrs. LWP from Gulfport, MS

Q: Why is is so hard to find a funeral home to do your internship after commiting your self to mortuary school for all that time? Seems like no one will give trainees a chance. For the ones that have family in the business have it made but what about the ones that don't? Is there someone who can help?

Answered 08/29/07 10:46:14 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Thank you for your question. I think you should consider that when you are inquiring about an "internship" most employers are viewing that as you are applying for a "job". When one completes the course work required within the Mortuary College this does not automatically mandate that someone hire that individual. Most employers are hiring specifically to fill a void in their employment force and typically are looking for the person who most fits their work ethic and culture. I would not give up in pursuing your goal. I know of an instance where an employee applicant waited a year and a half for an opening doing odd jobs in the meantime until the opportunity presented itself. Most opportunities are dictated by the job availability in your market. Sometimes to obtain a quicker placement one has to look outside of their locality to complete this specialized training. We wish you the best of luck in the pursuit of your career.

Submitted by Anonymous from Chicago, Ill

Q: Who writes the obits for the Sun Herald? Susanne Pearson was married to my brother and is the mother of his 2 children...who ever wrote the obit misspelled his last name. should be Gray not Grey and they also misspelled their 2 granddaughters names Kirstia and Zoie. Needless to say I was very dissapointed when I read this obit...Please contact whomever wrote this and make the corrections if possible. Thanks you

Answered 08/09/07 01:22:55 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Anonymous: Thank you for your inquiry. Our funeral directors thur our clerical staff generally produce the obituaries submitted to the newspapers, however, on occassion the family will submit the obtiuary directly to us and instruct us to print that as presented. That is what was done in this case by Sara Raskett, sister to Susanne Pearson. We will notify her as you requested with these errors as they were submitted. We can provide you with an exact copy of the fact if the submitting family member agree's to the release of that information. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Submitted by Timothy from Orlando, Florida

Q: I am a mortuary college student taking funeral service education at St Petersburg College. I'm taking my general education courses at the momemt and i was wondering, "How does one go about getting a job in a funeral home while attending college.? I want to be able to go to a firm and explain my situation and basically sell myself to the owner. You being a funeral home owner, tell me what you would look for in the person who came to you for a position . Any help would greatly appreciated.

Answered 02/12/07 21:29:08 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Timothy: There is a heavy demand for bright young talent coming into our industry. Most of the common traits found in a person who becomes successful apply to employment applicants in any field of work, so I won't bore you with the obvious ones, such as being reliable, honest, trustworthy, etc. If your actually looking for work while attending college, your schedule of availability will play a large role in your success in being hired. If your looking for employment once your educational process has been completed then we go back and base your character on the common traits of successful individuals. If you would like to visit more at length concerning your questions, please feel free to contact us at our website for our local phone listings. Good luck with your endavors. Sincerely, Jeffrey H. O'Keefe

Submitted by Anonymous from Kerrville, Texas

Q: Would your funeral home conducted funeral services for my sister Anita Connor. I am trying to locate her and she lived on Motsie Rd. Her telephone has been disconnected. Can you be of help. I think you buried her daughter Shelly last summer. Thank You Mervel M. Valentine

Answered 02/12/07 21:19:31 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Please call our Howard Avenue location and ask for assistance at 228-374-5650. Thank you Jeffrey H. O'Keefe

Submitted by Anonymous from No location specified

Q: Is there a law that says someone must conduct your funeral, i.e. a preacher or family member.

Answered 01/15/07 20:37:05 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Anonymous: I would presume by your question that you are inquiring as to if there is a law requiring that a Preacher or Family Member "Eulogize" one when someone dies. In that regard I don't believe that there is a law that mandates such. Generally a Eulogy is done out of respect for the deceased and or his or her family. Thank you for your inquiry. Jeffrey H. O'Keefe - President Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes

Submitted by Tanya from Indianapolis, IN

Q: I've been offered an opportunity to interview for a position, selling Pre-arrangements. I come form a different sales background and wanted to find out information in regard to how lucrative this position can be or not? Currently, I make a 6 figure income in the medical sales but have been seeking a change. Any feed back is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Answered 01/15/07 20:28:19 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Tanya: Thank you for your inquiry. I don't think that there are that many individuals making a 6 figure income selling pre-arranged funerals. Those making that kind of money more than likely are either an outstanding sales person individually with an extraordinary talent for closing the sale or they are in a supervisory role and responsible for not only his or her own sales but those who fall under their management. Generally at that level also comes an expectation of performance goals being met and improved upon. Good luck as you persue your options and if you have any other questions, please feel free to call or write. Sincerely, Jeffrey H. O'Keefe - President

Submitted by Jim Trott from jacksonville, Florida

Q: My step mother contracted for my father's funeral without consulting any of his children or allowing any of them to have any say in the matter. She set up an extremely expensive funeral($11,200)for his small estate. She wants to charge the estate for all of it and for the headstone also. She refused to bury him where he requested also. Is there a maximum that she can charge the estate for this?

Answered 11/13/06 12:13:44 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Mr. Trott: I am not a lawyer but I would suggest that your step mother would probably be deemed the most immediate next of kin and therefore have the authority to make those decisions. The only relief for siblings who feel differently about the decisions would be in the legal system. Often times when family members are at odds over decision making we suggest the court order be obtained. A judge usually will assist in giving everyone a fair opportunity to be involved in the process prior to rendering a decision. This of course generally is done prior to services being rendered and therefore could be of some impact to the services being selected. As far as a maximum amount an estate can be charged for funerals, we know of no rules that specify any particular percentages as such. Generally expenses that are deemed "reasonable" are permitted. I hope this helps and thank you for your inquiry. Sincerely, Jeffrey H. O'Keefe

Submitted by Donna Goodner-Muhlba from Arnold, NE. 69120

Q: I would like to obtain a copy of my cousin's obituary. Name is Russell E. Buchanan. He died 10-26-06 in Gulfport. He was my mother's nephew.If I could get an address to send a sympathy card to I would also appreciate that. Thank you. Donna Goodner-Muhlbach POB 153 Arnold, NE. 69120

Answered 11/07/06 22:04:30 by Jeffrey O'Keefe
Presiden Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral

A: Dear Mrs. Goodner-Muhlbach: Thank you for your inquiry. This forum is better used for explanations regarding subject matters in which people are seeking to learn additional information as opposed to that of providing personal data or information... Could you please email us directly at JHOKEEFE@AOL.COM or call 228-865-0090. Thank you again for your inquiry. Sincerely, Jeffrey H. O'Keefe - President Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes

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