William Connolly Obituary

CONNOLLY William "Bill" Alfred Connolly, beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend to many, passed away on Saturday, May 7, 2005 after a short but courageous battle with colon cancer. Bill was born to Walter A. and Frances M. Connolly in Columbus, Oh. on August 4, 1928. He was raised in Upper Arlington in Columbus and graduated from Arlington High School in 1946. He attended The Ohio State University and graduated in 1951. Bill served his country with the U.S. Army with the 40th Infantry Division during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1952. Bill has two sons from his first marriage, Rodney and Scott Connolly, both of Denver, Colo.; as well as two grandsons, Will and Kyle Connolly, whom he was very proud of. During his lifetime, Bill resided in St. Louis, Mo., Kansas City, Kan., Dallas, Tex., San Francisco and Los Angeles, Calif., Columbus, Oh., Colorado Springs, Colo. and most recently, Ocala, Fla. Bill had a successful career working as a wholesale food Rep. for a number of major companies. After retiring from corporate life, he started his own small advertising business, which kept him active and busy in the last years of his life. He had a passion for fine clothes and travel and was an avid sports fan. His true love was Ohio State Football. He followed the team in print and watched any game he could find on TV. He could never get enough of Ohio State Football. One of his happiest moments was watching Ohio State win the National Championship in 2003. For the last 35 years he was married to the love of his life, Lucille. They were inseparable. They shared a love for animals and had numerous dogs and cats over the years. Bill was a proud member of different Shriner organizations which included University Lodge 631 F&AM, ARAT Shrine Temple of Kansas City, Mo. and the Medina Temple of San Francisco, Calif. He will be buried with full military honors at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Fla. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Marion County, P.O. Box 4860, Ocala, Fla. 34478-4860. Arrangements by ROBERTS FUNERAL HOME, Bruce East Chapel.