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September 30th, 1867 - April 15th, 1912

He is a Libra.

Arthur O'Keefe was born in Rahway, Union, New Jersey to Irish immigrant parents who had first come to the USA in 1861: Patrick O'Keefe (born 1832), a Labourer, and his wife Julia (born 1834). One of 4 children, his only surviving sibling was his sister Margaret (born 1862). 2 brothers, William and John, had died in early childhood. Arthur first appears on the 1870 census living with his family at an unspecified address in Rahway. Patrick passed away around 1880 (3) (possibly in California) and when the family appeared on the 1880 census they were living in Monroe Street, Rahway where Arthur would spend the rest of his life. Arthur was unmarried and he and Julia were still living together on Monroe Street by the time of the 1900 census, Arthur described as a grocer.

Margaret was married to John Coyle O'Brien (born 1862) in 1897 and had a daughter named Marguerite (1900 - 1970; later Mrs. William Flanaghan). The couple ran a store in Rahway but Margaret was widowed in 1908 and returned home to live with Julia and Arthur. They appeared on the 1910 census living at Monroe Street and the family ran their grocery store together. Julia would pass away in 1911. Known as Artie to his friends, Arthur is believed to have been a Freemason. Besides his grocery store he owned property in Rahway and was active in local politics with the Republican party, possibly earning him the monikers "The Man of the Bronx" and "The Mayor of East Rahway".

Aboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912:
In February or 1912, Arthur left his home for a vacation, intent on vaulting England, Scotland, and Ireland. At intervals he would send home postcards and gifts from the various places he visited, including some Irish shamrocks when he timed to arrive in America on St. Patrick's Day (March 17th). Plans had been made for the National Fife and Drum Corps of East Rahway Fraternal Section to greet Arthur upon his arrival back in New Jersey. He boarded the RMS Titanic at Southampton as a 3rd class passenger. On the night of the sinking it's speculated that Arthur was one of the men who managed to pull themselves aboard Collapsable A and Olaus Abelseth tried to help. Olaus had shared a carriage on the boat train to Southampton with a New Jersey man who he later encountered in Collapsable A, flying freezing, so he propped him up and attempted to revive him, telling him to brace himself and that a ship was coming. The man would say "leave me be," and "who are you?" before he died of exposure.

The body of this man was left in the boat when Harold Lowe arrived to transfer her survivors. A month after the sinking the RMS Oceanic came across the drifting Collapsable A, 3 bodies were recovered and and buried at sea. Margaret later received postcards from Arthur on the morning of April 15th, 1912 telling her he intended to travel aboard Titanic. She later suffered breakdown, reported in the press at the time before she hastened to Halifax to try and locate Arthur's body but returned to Rahway on May 10th, 1912, the search having proven fruitless. Margret subsequently applied for administration of Arthur's estate to the Surrogate of Union County, New Jersey and stated that his assets amounted to less than $350, despite his apparent extensive roperty ownership and business interests.

With Arthur being a well-known figure in Rahway, the town went into mourning and flags on government buildings were lowered to half-mast. A Requiem Mass was held in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church of April 23rd. Margaret remained in Rahway for the rest of her life and she died in 1930. Arthur is commemorated on her headstone in St. Mary's Cemetery in Clark, Union, New Jersey.

Sources:
www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

Rest In Peace Arthur O'Keefe.