GROWING UP ON THE FARM: James Earl Keefe came into this world on Wednesday, April 2nd, 1913, on the Keefe Homestead in Kinkora, Prince Edward Island, Canada. He was the 7th of 16 children born to John Keefe & Angelina Monaghan. Earl was indeed a lucky baby too as there was an outbreak of diphtheria the year he was born. Indeed, three of his sisters, Eileen, Elizabeth and Margaret, had all died as a result of this disease. Living and working on a farm in the early part of the 20th century wasn’t easy and eventually, Earl had to leave school to work on the farm full time.

TRAVELING THE RAILS & GOING TO WAR: Earl toiled on his father’s farm until the late 30s when he joined the Canadian National Railroad to work as a cook on the railway. He traveled across this great land of ours many times before returning to PEI in 1942 to enlist in the army. Earl's buddies were all signing up to go and fight the good fight and he no less than them, would do his part to protect our nations freedoms. He sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on the Queen Elizabeth and later would tell stories of the huge waves and terrible weather experienced during the trip.

Earl seemed proud of the fact that he was one of the few who managed to avoid getting seasick on the rough trip and in fact, he didn’t even miss a single meal. Earl was part of the Royal Canadian Electrical Engineers who were stationed in England until the end of the war. This group was responsible for keeping all the army vehicles in good repair. Earl never talked much about the war as most likely it brought back bad memories. However, one story he did tell was about the "Buzz" bombs. Buzz bombs were German unmanned airplanes filled with explosives which had just enough fuel to fly to England where they would then crash and explode. Earl was stationed in a tent camp not far from Borden, England. Many nights he would hear these deadly Buzz bombs flying overhead and would pray that he wouldn't hear the sudden silence of their engines cutting out as they passed over his camp. When the war was finally over, Earl served in Holland for nine months before heading home in 1946.

MARRYING THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS & RAISING A FAMILY: Earl's mother had passed away in 1938 and his father died in 1946. After the war, Earl went back to help out on the family farm. Around this time, Earl started to date a young lady named Mary Helena Gallant. She was the daughter of John C. Gallant and Helena Shreenan and her parents had moved to Kinkora from Newton, P.E.I. Mary was 16 years younger than Earl and in fact, it's family lore that Earl had actually babysat Mary and her siblings in his earlier teenage years. Earl and Mary were married in Kinkora on November 17th, 1953. Earl was 40 years old and Mary was 24. They settled just a couple of miles from Kinkora in Middleton, a rural community near Kinkora. They had bought a 100 acre farm with a farmhouse, a barn and a couple of outbuildings, 60 acres of which was farmable land and 40 acres of which was wooded area. Earl and Mary soon celebrated the birth of their first child, a girl named Linda Marie on September 2nd, 1954….then came James Earl on July 19th, 1956….Charles Elmer on May 22nd, 1958….Anne Marie on October 19th, 1959…..and Michelle Helena on January 25th, 1962. Earl farmed the land full time, growing crops and raising livestock. In 1952 he started to work also for the Federal Government's Department of Agriculture as a potato inspector. Along with running the family farm, this was a job he would maintain until he retired in 1976.

Earl and Mary Keefe with their children and grandchildren in 1999.
Standing L-R: Ashley McGuire, Steve Trainor, Michelle McGuire, Anne Keefe, Charles Keefe, James Keefe, Linda Keefe-Trainor, Jacklyn Keefe & Frank Trainor Jr
Sitting L-R: Mary Keefe and Earl Keefe
In Front L-R: Chad Keefe, Casey McGuire, Joshua Adams, Jimmy & Patrick Keefe

Earl was overjoyed in 1988 when his oldest son, James, decided to move back to the Island from California to take over the family farm. James fixed up the old farmhouse much to his father’s delight and continues to live there with his family to this day.

Earl Keefe was a faithful member of the Borden Legion Branch #10 for many years and was eventually awarded with an honorary lifetime membership. In 1992, Earl joined together with Brian Keefe and Joseph Shreenan in an effort to establish a war veterans memorial called the Kinkora War Monument. That magnificent and evocative monument, which had long been a personal dream of Earl's to fulfill, stands proudly today in Kinkora due in large part to Earl's own diligent efforts along with those of his two fellow monument co-ordinators.

In 1997, Earl became very sick and had to be hospitalized. Doctors indicated that there was likely less than a 1% chance that Earl would survive. Well, Earl beat those odds much to the doctors surprise and amazement. He eventually required care in a nursing home however & had to learn how to walk again after enduring much trauma to his system. Three months later he was back home. Earl was a tough man…in fact, years earlier he'd had knee problems due to arthritis and actually had to get a knee replacement. He used to say after that, that he was just like his grandfather, Ambrose Monaghan...good from the knees up!

In closing, so much more could be said about James Earl Keefe. In his later years he would often say that he had lived a good long life and was ready to go. He did live a good and long life. He was a loving son, a brother, a husband, a father and of course a loving grandfather. His deep faith carried him through his trials and tribulations. He was well thought of by many who knew him as a kind & gentle man. Earl was a considerate man who had a great sense of humor and he enjoyed his life. He enriched the lives of his many loved ones and the hearts of all those friends and strangers he came in contact with in his years on this earth. He has left a priceless part of himself in our memories.

God Bless You Earl…..you will not be forgotten.