Caroline McKemy

“Now, these three remain, faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:3.

Caroline McKemy, a long-time Bandon resident and member of the St. John’s Episcopal Church, died peacefully on 12/5/25, with her children by her side.

Caroline was born in Evansville Indiana.  When Caroline was only three, her father – Norman Lukens -- died in the aftermath of the Ohio River Flood of 1937, leaving  Caroline and her older brother Norman to be raised by their mother, Margaret Lukens, and their grandparents.

Caroline attended DePauw University on an academic scholarship.  There she joined the Alpha Phi sorority and the Sigma Chi fraternity chose her as its Sigma Chi Sweetheart (“The girl of my dreams is the sweetest girl, of all the girls I know”). She graduated in 1955.  That same year she married Richard Lawrence O’Connor, also a DePauw graduate. 

Caroline and Richard moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he attended Northwestern Medical School and she gave birth to their first two children, Mary Anne and Roger.  After graduation, the family moved to Telluride, Colorado – then a rough and tumble mining town, NOT the fancy ski village it is today. Richard was the town doctor for several years.  While there, Caroline and Richard completed their family with the arrival of Shawn.

The family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where Richard did a residency in orthopedic surgery. They eventually settled in the Los Angeles area; Richard developed a specialty in knee surgery and became a pioneer in the development of arthroscopic surgery. 

After Richard died in 1980, Caroline moved to Bandon.  She married Robert (“Bob”) McKemy and together they developed several large commercial buildings in downtown Bandon – including the Wheelhouse Restaurant, which they ran for a number of years.  They also raised sheep, participated in a wide range of community activities, and presided over an ever-growing menagerie of animals and grandchildren.  After Bob died in 2013, Caroline remained active in her church, flower garden, book club, quilting circle, and PEO.

Mostly, however, she was a huge presence in the lives of her friends, children, nieces and nephew, and eight grandchildren, who knew her as the kindest, most generous-spirited, and altogether loveliest lady.  One of the grandchildren wrote a poem for Caroline’s 92d birthday: “(at church) you greeted everyone by name, like each soul was a miracle… you always forgave, you always understood, and even now, I’m learning to look at the world like you did – with softness, with mischief, with love.” Another grandchild summed up Caroline’s life even more succinctly:  “if there’s anyone who I know for sure is in heaven, it’s Grandma.”

Caroline is survived by:

  -- her children and their spouses: Mary Anne Cooper (Simon), Roger O’Connor (Ann), Shawn O’Connor (Mike Meszaros). 

 -- her grandchildren and their spouses: Maggie Munson (James), James Cooper (Kelsey), Thomas O’Connor (Marlo), Kate Culligan (Ben), Luke O’Connor,  Elijah O’Connor (Lexi),  Shiloh O’Connor (Suzie), and Mariah O’Connor.

  --her nieces and nephew: Peggy Lukens (Miki), Becky Lukens (Lisa), and Pat Lukens (Amy)

AND

  -- a whopping 11 great-grandchildren (and counting)!

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