James M. “Ice” O’Keefe, 81, of Chicago, whose enthusiasm for sports inspired legions of children in his Northwest Side neighborhood, died Friday, June 16, in Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge of complications of pneumonia. Mr. O’Keefe started his coaching “career” when his son was small, coaching Little League baseball for about nine years, said his son, James Patrick. After his children were grown, the senior Mr. O’Keefe started teaching two of his nephews who lived down the street the fundamentals of football and baseball–a tradition that extended to practically all the neighborhood children. “Ultimately, all the kids were in the front yard,” his son said, remembering how his father used to gravitate to games with the kids. One of his signature phrases was, “Hey, freeze your teeth, give your tongue a sleigh ride: Eat ice cream,” said his son, who added: “The kids would laugh like crazy, and then he would go buy them ice cream.” Mr. O’Keefe’s got his nickname, “Ice,” from helping the ice man who dropped off huge blocks of ice during the Depression. He worked many years as a maintenance technician, retiring in 1983. Other survivors include his wife, Margaret Hester O’Keefe; a daughter, Sheila Mary O’Keefe; a sister, Mary DeMolick; and a brother, John. A mass will be said at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in St. John Bosco Catholic Church, 2300 N. Austin Ave., Chicago.
