Family tragedy leads to St. Mary's scholarship fund
Fundraisers will pay for one student to attend the school
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| Erica Burrus photo Stephen Limmer and his daughter Stephanie stand behind the new bar at Crusoe's called Patrick McKeane's Pub. Behind them are pictures of Stephen's son Patrick Limmer and his brother-in-law John Michael "Mick" Keane, both of whom died tragically. |
Stephen Limmer, owner of the popular South Side eatery, Crusoe's Restaurant at 3152-54 Osceola St., has started a drive to raise money for a full scholarship honoring his son Patrick Limmer and his brother-in-law John Michael "Mick" Keane. It's called the Patrick McKeane Scholarship Fund, with the first name honoring Limmer's son and the second his brother-in-law.
At the same time, there's now a place where people can remember Patrick Limmer and "Mick" Keane every time they raise a glass. It's the new Patrick McKeane's Pub, in a recently-built addition to Crusoe's."I wanted to do something to keep my son's memory alive and my brother-in-law's," said Stephen Limmer, speaking at a table of Patrick McKeane's Pub.
Backers hope to raise $6,985 - the cost of one year's tuition at St. Mary's - with efforts to sell 200 "pieces" of the old bar at Crusoe's for $15 each, a Bunko tournament, a golf tournament and other fundraisers.
Being a graduate of St. Mary's and operating a business in the city since 1979, Limmer felt a need to give back to the school.
"We want to see St. Mary's stay strong," he said.
"People affiliated with St. Mary's have really supported this business over the years," said Maureen Chirco, who directs the fund and is a longtime friend of the Limmers.
Patrick Limmer was a freshman at St. Mary's when he died driving on Watson Road in Sunset Hills in 2003.
"My son was 15 years old and did a stupid thing," said Stephen Limmer, who also attended St. Mary's. Patrick was at a friend's house, asked another teenager for keys to his car, took it out and flipped it over.
Keane, whose son attended St. Mary's, was 52 when he died of a blood clot in his kidney while watching the last game of the National League Championship Series between the Cardinals and the New York Mets on Oct. 19, 2006. Keane, and his wife Charlyn, and Limmer, and his wife Kelly (Keane's sister), had attended an earlier game of the same series.
The fund is one of 10 established at the high school in honor of classes, faculty members and students who died. The Patrick McKeane Fund is one of five of those scholarships for students who died in car crashes.
"Families are trying to come to terms with what happened," said Joseph Divis, associate director of the St. Mary's Advancement Office, which handles fundraising for the school. Establishing a scholarship fund is one way they can do it, he said.
Sixty-seven percent of the school's students receive financial aid, Divis said.
"Folks want to continue with a Catholic education, but are strapped fiscally," he said.
"We are so pleased that they would think of St. Mary's when they are trying to honor Patrick and Mick," said the Rev. Mitch Doyan, principal of St. Mary's High School.
The restaurant has a mailing list of about 17,000, and about 3,000 of those are also on e-mail.
Using that mailing list, the company sends out about 1,200 birthday cards a month. The cards will include a request for funds, Limmer said.
Among those who are pleased with the pub's name and the scholarship fund is Stephen Limmer's daughter, Stephanie, the pub's manager.
"I think it's neat how the name came about," she said. "When (customers) hear about the story, it makes them want to come back."
Want to donate?
To donate to Patrick McKeane's Scholarship Fund, go online at www.dineocr.com or www.3ampub.com.
