In Memoriam: Susan Ann Keefe, 1954-2012

Susan Keefe, an associate professor of church history at Duke University, died at her home earlier this month. She was 58 years old. Dr. Keefe had been on the faculty at Duke since 1988.

Dr. Keefe was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned a Ph.D. in medieval studies from the University of Toronto. Before joining the faculty at Duke, she taught at Harvard University, Davidson College, and the California Institute of Technology.

She was the author of Water and the Word — Baptism and the Instruction of the Clergy in the Carolingian Empire: A Study of Texts and Manuscripts (University of Notre Dame Press, 2002).

“Susan was an outstanding historical scholar who did the thankless but essential work of painstakingly gathering, editing, and translating otherwise inaccessible primary sources from the medieval period,” said Richard Hays, dean of Duke Divinity School. “She was also a beloved teacher and colleague. Her gracious spirit and gentle wisdom will be greatly missed in our community.”