William Paul Connolly, 73, died Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY following a brief illness.
He is survived by two sons, Charles Connolly of Columbia, NJ and William Connolly of Constableville, NY; three grandchildren, Amanda Connolly, Sean Connolly and Savannah Connolly; and brothers John Connolly of upstate New York and James Connolly of Florida.
Born in Amsterdam, NY, he grew up in Johnstown, NY, the youngest son of Martin and Anna (Cellary) Connolly.
Upon graduation from Johnstown High School, he served in the U.S. Air Force in the Missile Maintenance Squadron of the Strategic Air Command at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming. After the service, he moved to New Jersey where he became the owner of Lee Packaging Corp, raised his two sons in Oakland, and was a Little League and soccer coach and active member of the Oakland Recreation Commission for a decade. During the Christmas Holidays he played Santa Claus to many area families and organizations. He returned to the Johnstown area in the late 1980s and lived most recently in Fonda.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Memorial donations are welcome to the Greater Amsterdam Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc., (GAVAC) P.O. Box 11, Amsterdam, NY 12010 or the Lupus Foundation of America, 2000 L Street NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20036-4916 (202-349-1155; www.lupus.org).
If you would like to send condolences to the family, send an email to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth. We will forward your comments to the family. If you would like to send flowers in memory of the deceased, contact Mohican Flowers at (607) 547-8822, or A Rose is a Rose at (607) 264-3100.
