Grace M. Connolly 1913 - 2012

CONNOLLY, DRUMMY, CARROLL, LEVA, BLACK, WHITE, KOLCK, SCHNEIDER, BLICHMANN, NICKS

Posted By: J. n. (email)
Date: 8/28/2012 at 22:04:03

Grace M. Connolly
(December 2, 1913 - August 26, 2012)

Grace M. Connolly, 98, of Dubuque, passed away early Sunday morning, Aug. 26, 2012 at Luther Manor, her home for the past 17 years.
A funeral mass will be said at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29th at St. Anthony Catholic Church. Rev. Steven Rosonke will officiate. Friends may call after 9 a.m. Wednesday at St. Anthony Church. Burial will be in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Key West, IA. Hoffmann-Schneider Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 1640 Main St., is in charge of arrangements.

Grace was born on Dec. 2, 1913, in Dubuque, IA, the last of 13 children of Edward Fitzgerald and Johanna (Drummy) Connolly.

She graduated from the Mercy School of Nursing in 1938. Her aunt, Sr. Mary Edmunda (later administrator of Mercy Hospital in Dubuque) saw to it that Grace and a couple of her sisters were educated as nurses.

Grace was a pediatric nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Detroit for many years and retired to Dubuque to be near family. While living in Detroit and Grosse Point she spent a great deal of time with her brother Bill and his family. On holidays in particular she would be with Bill and his family but she worked the day shift so the married nurses could be with their families.
Every summer she enjoyed a fishing trip or two to Carp Lake in Northern Michigan. She wasn’t that enthusiastic a fisherman but loved to get away from the big city.

Grace is survived by many nieces and nephews throughout the country including, locally, Mr. Thomas E. Connolly and Mr. Richard (Margaret) Kolck. In addition she was very fond of Pat and Darlene O’Neill who were regular visitors from St. Anthony’s and Carol Strumberger her very special friend and care giver.

Her siblings who pre-deceased her were Clarence (Evelyn) Connolly, Raymond (Marguerite) Connolly, both of Dubuque, William (Dorothy) Connolly, of Grosse Point Park, MI., Eleanor (William) Carroll, of Milwaukee, WI., Mary Leva, of Benton Harbor, MI., Josephine (Herb) Black, of Charlotte, MI., Bernice (Cleland) White, of Tulsa, OK., Harriet (Dick) Kolck, of Dubuque, Eileen (Harold) Schneider, Kathleen (Sister Mary Edward, BVM), and Lt. Edward Connolly who died as a pilot over Europe in WWII. His widow, Annabel Blichmann (Nicks) later remarried and lives in the Atlanta area.

In lieu of flowers contributions in Grace’s name can be made to St. Anthony’s, Luther Manor, or Hospice of Dubuque.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Luther Manor for their loving care, Drs. Doug Schmid and Brian Sullivan, and particularly Carol Strumberger for the constant loving care she provided to Grace.