JOSEPH R. CONNELL Sr.

CONNELL, Joseph R. Sr. U. S. Marine Corps Veteran Retired Westford Chief of Police Joseph Richard Connell, Sr., aged 91, a lifelong resident of Westford, passed away in Bedford, MA, on May 1, 2020. Joe was the son of the late John L. and Catherine Alice (Gower) Connell. He was the husband of Joan (Crowley) Connell, who predeceased him in 2012 and with whom he celebrated their fifty-eighth wedding anniversary in 2011. Born in Lowell, MA, on December 14, 1928, and raised in the Graniteville neighborhood of Westford, Joe graduated from the Sargent Elementary School. He attended Keith Academy in Lowell, where he played varsity football and baseball. His athletic talents did not go unnoticed, and he was offered a spot on the Baltimore Orioles' farm team. Joe opted instead to travel to the University of Georgia on a football scholarship. Much to his family's surprise, his belongings arrived back on the family doorstep within a couple of months. They soon learned that Joe had enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Following recruit training at Parris Island, Joe soon found himself aboard the USS Mississippi, where he served until March 1950. He once again gravitated toward sports—this time boxing—and was again a standout. He went on to win several championships, including the 1949 All-Navy heavyweight boxing championship in Oakland, California. Just as he was set to be discharged from the Marines in 1950, the Korean War broke out and his enlistment was extended for another year. Joe was transferred to Camp Pendleton, California, where he was assigned to the First Marine Division. His battalion shipped out to Kobe, Japan, and soon participated in the invasion of Inchon, the assault and seizure of Seoul, the Chosin Reservoir campaign, and the Hungnam Evacuation. During the war he earned a Combat Action Ribbon, U.N. Korean War Medal (with 3 battle stars), Presidential Unit Citation (1st Marine Div.), and Korean Presidential Unit Citation. Joe's career of public service began with his appointment as Westford Superintendent of Streets in 1952. Accepting the position of patrolman on the Westford Police force in 1958, he moved through the ranks and was appointed Chief of Police in 1963, a position he would hold for over thirty years. During that time, Joe held the office of President of the Northern Middlesex County Police Association, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, and the New England Association of Chiefs of Police, also earning his degree from Northeastern University in 1974. Joe leaves four children: Jerilyn Connell, of Kanab, Utah; Jayne Connell and her husband Jeffrey Duban, of New York City; Judith Connell, of Watertown, and Joseph Connell, Jr., and his wife Deborah (Nix) Connell, of Westford, and four beloved grandchildren: Briana, Nolan, Brendan, and Keegan Connell. Also, by his sisters-in-law Rita (Vigneault) Connell and Joanne (O'Brien) Connell of Westford; his brother-in-law, Daniel E. Crowley of Leominster, and a large and loving extended family. He was predeceased by four brothers: John L., William D., Thomas J., and Daniel D. Connell; and a sister-in-law, Donna (O'Dea) Connell, all of Westford. A Mass and Burial will be held at a later time, when friends and family may more safely and happily come together. Memorial donation information can be found at www.morsebaylissfuneralhome.com Morse-Bayliss Funeral Home, Lowell