Sister Kathleen Mary, 90, grammar school principal

Sister Kathleen Mary O'Keeffe, a Franciscan nun and former grammar school principal, died Saturday of respiratory disease at Assisi House, her order's retirement home in Aston, Pa. She was 90.

She was a teacher and principal at St. Stephen Parochial School in Bradshaw from 1946 to 1950, and again from 1962 to 1964.

She began her career in 1928 at SS. Philip and James in Charles Village and later taught at St. Peter Claver School in West Baltimore and Shrine of the Little Flower in Belair-Edison.

Born in Ardpatrick in County Limerick, Ireland, she entered the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia in 1925. Formerly known as Sister Mary Benetta, she earned a degree in education from Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg.

She also held teaching posts in Delaware, Oklahoma and Massachusetts, and she retired this year.

A Mass of Christian burial was offered yesterday in Aston.

Sister Mary is survived by a brother, Michael O'Keeffe of Limerick.