October 30, 1947 - December 20, 2020

A son of South Boston and of Ireland, John P. Connolly cared deeply for both his local community and the wider world. Born the only child of Irish immigrants, John was raised in public housing across from Carson Beach. When he was 15, he met his future wife, Anne Louise (McGonagle) Connolly, and he was an only child no more as the McGonagle family embraced him and never let go.

Upon graduation from Mission High School, John attended Harvard College on a full scholarship, leaving early to tend to responsibilities at home. Responsibility and caring for others would mark this gentleman's life.

At twenty-one, John was the first tenant ever to be appointed to the board of the Boston Housing Authority. This appointment by Governor Francis W. Sargent made John the first public housing resident to sit on a public housing board in the country. The status of this was no matter to John, however. He was motivated even at such a young age to represent those who could not represent themselves.

As he began his professional life, John worked with Corcoran, Mullins, and Jennison to build low-income and elderly housing in conjunction with the Farmers Home Administration. In the 1970's, he committed his career formally to public service, working in the administration of Mayor Raymond L. Flynn as his Development Advisor.

At City Hall, John worked on a wide range of priorities that served both the City and its citizens. Some of the projects of which he was most proud included Tent City and Post Office Square. These two notable sites underscored his belief that cities were communities. In those communities, access and equity were essential--and so was beauty. A true urbanist, John knew that good policy and good practice would improve life for all.

The third chapter of John's professional career was spent as the Vice President at Sawyer Enterprises, where he developed such iconic properties as 200 Newbury Street and the W Hotel. Throughout his work in the private sector, John remained committed to community engagement through due process and to enhancing the city he loved so much through modern design that integrated into its historic surroundings.

Deeply committed to education, John returned to Harvard later in his life to attend a Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. There, he made friends from around the world. Exploring the world brought John perspective throughout his life. He delighted in travel throughout the United States, Ireland, England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, Mexico, and Cuba. He would return to both Ireland and Italy again and again, with Venice always calling him back.

Perhaps unwittingly, his mother, Barbara (Faherty) Connolly, inspired John's appreciation of the world by taking him to meet his family in Galway for the first time in 1954, when the language spoken was predominantly Gaelic. His father, Peter Connolly, also hailed from County Galway and a village called Mweenish. Through these early experiences, John understood the power of home and family and history. He also learned the hardship of immigrant life and the incredible opportunity that can be born from it.

For John, perhaps the greatest opportunity of all was to spend his life with his soulmate, Anne. Theirs was a marriage unlike most. They found in each other everything that was missing. His intellect was met by her curiosity. His wit was met by her laughter. His bookish contemplation was met by her dinner parties, and garden parties, and birthday parties, and cookouts. They were two parts that once paired, never separated.

Together, they moved from South Boston to Jamaica Plain in 1976. They began their family in 1978 with the birth of their first daughter, Catherine "Katie" Julia Connolly. In 1979, daughter Julianna Barbara Connolly arrived, and for the next 41 years, John's unerring focus was always these three women. An incredible gentleman, John brought his belief in equity and opportunity to his parenting, raising daughters who never doubted their place in the world nor their responsibility to it.

John's life was full of joy, and he was as lit with happiness pruning his rose bushes as he was appreciating Beethoven at Tanglewood or Caravaggio in Rome. His greatest joys, however, were his three grandsons, Shea McDonnell, Peter Cohan, and Louis Cohan. Whether picking them up at daycare or playing twenty rounds of Candy Land, John showed his grandsons unconditional love and incredible patience in every moment. John cared for and respected his sons-in-law, Sander Cohan and Brian McDonnell, as if they were his own children.

John is survived by the love of his life, Anne, his daughters, sons-in-law, and grandsons, all of Jamaica Plain, MA. In addition, he is survived by Anne's siblings, Mickey McGonagle of Duxbury, Ed McGonagle of Canton, Mamie Berger of Amesbury, and Ellie Bosse of Medway. Further, he is remembered by his cousin Mary Catherine Jackson of Buffalo, NY, the extended Faherty Family in Galway, Ireland, his brothers- and sisters-in-law, and 14 nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, his cousin Padraig Faherty of Loughaunbeg, County Galway, Ireland, his nephew, Edward McGonagle of Milton, and his dear brother-in-law, Bill McGonagle of South Boston.

In lieu of flowers, acknowledgements of John's life are humbly encouraged to The John Connolly Fund at Homestart. John's family established this fund in his honor with an initial gift of $50,000. Homestart works to promote housing stability and to prevent evictions in our most vulnerable populations. Visit www.homestart.org to learn more and to honor John.

A celebration of John's life, legacy, and impact will happen when we emerge from this terrible pandemic and it is safe to do so.

Please wear a mask.