Kathryn Genevieve Connolly

Kathryn Genevieve Connolly, née Connelly, passed away peacefully and entered God's kingdom on Sunday, November 9, 2025. In her final days, she was surrounded by her loving family who honored her great faith and Irish heritage by reciting her favorite prayers and serenading her with Irish songs as she took the final steps on her earthly journey.
Kathryn was the second oldest of six children born to Bridget and Peter "Val" Connelly on January 3, 1930. Her siblings and their spouses Marie (Ed) O'Brien, Sister Rosemary Connelly, RSM, Donald Connelly, Joe (Patricia) Connelly, and Patricia (Bob) Martin, have all predeceased her. Growing up on Chicago's west side, Kathryn's immigrant parents instilled in their children a deep faith, an appreciation for the value of hard work, and a love for both America and Ireland. Kathryn learned the importance of generosity and hospitality from her parents who owned Val Connelly's, a well-known tavern that was a west side gathering place for Irish immigrants. Her father would often loan money to those in need and the back room of the tavern offered Irish music and dancing for immigrants longing for a little taste of home. Kathryn and her sisters would often perform for the patrons and Kathryn once was invited to sing on The Irish Hour radio program. Kathryn loved celebrating St. Patrick's Day, and the Connelly sisters could still be prompted to get up and perform an Irish reel well into their eighties! As youngsters, the family's cottage in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin was always open to their friends looking for summer fun and Kathryn fondly recounted how at night there were so many visitors sleeping on the floor of the porch and living room that she would have to carefully step around them to get to her room.
Kathryn attended Resurrection Parish grammar school and St. Catherine of Siena High School, where she was class president. Because their mother was sick, Kathryn's sister Rosemary, who was 13 months younger, was sent to first grade a year early. This formed a close bond between the sisters as Kathryn felt protective of her little sister. Rosemary always said Kathryn was very smart, and she often helped her with her homework. The sisters shared the same friends and their classmates Nora "Sis" O'Malley and Pat McGrath Grabarski remained close to them throughout their lives. All four of the friends passed away in the last fourteen months. After high school, Kathryn opted to forego college because she secured a well-paying job as an executive secretary for the railroad in Chicago. She never told her siblings, but she gave the money she earned to her parents to help pay for her siblings' tuition and expenses. Later in life, she went back to college believing in the importance of education.
Kathryn was extremely social and enjoyed attending dances as a young woman. She met the love of her life and future husband, Bob Connolly, through her brother Donald. Donald and Bob served as shipmates in the U.S. Navy and Donald offered to introduce Bob to his sister when they were home on leave. Bob won Kathryn's heart with his strong faith, wry sense of humor, and zest for life. Kathryn and Bob married in April 1953 and the newspaper notice of their wedding noted in the headline that a Connelly married a Connolly. Kathryn often said she thought it was harder changing just one letter of her last name rather than adopting a completely new married name. Bob and Kathryn celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary in April, 2020, six weeks before Bob's death. Together they raised a loving family of seven children including their sons the late John (Lindsey), Robert (Andrea), the late Brian, and Hugh (Carrie) Connolly and their daughters Linda (Gregory) Fahrenbach, Maura (Thomas) Ryan, and Paula (Tom) McDonnell. Kathryn was an adoring Nana to her fourteen grandchildren including John and Greg Connolly; Lauren (Luke) Sloma; Brian (Katie), Eric (Sarah), and John Fahrenbach; Kara and Kyle Connolly; Kate (Jonny) Freeman, Aileen, Maeve, Sean and Eamon Ryan; and Thomas McDonnell. She cherished her eight great-grandchildren including Jack Connolly, Claire and Bridget Fahrenbach, Eleanor and Adeline Sloma, Maximilian and Augustine Fahrenbach, and Violet Freeman. She eagerly anticipated the arrival of two more great-grandchildren in the coming year.
For Kathryn and Bob, family was their top priority. Both of them were loving parents, but Kathryn was truly the heart of the home. From the moment she became a mother, she selflessly devoted herself to raising her children and took pride in all their accomplishments and their appearance. She knew that some people were critical of large families, so she made sure her children were immaculately dressed heading to church every Sunday so that no one would have grounds to criticize her family! Kathryn supported and encouraged her children telling each one that they were the best boy or best girl in the world, and none of them seemed to mind that she was saying the same thing to each one of them. While raising seven children may seem like a daunting task, the job had the added challenge of handling the special needs of her dear son Brian. For 61 years, Kathryn worked tirelessly to make sure Brian was lovingly cared for both at home and later in life at Misericordia. She said she never questioned why God gave her a special needs child, but simply believed that God would never give her more than she could handle and she went about the task of raising Brian and the rest of her children with great love, faith, and joy.
In spite of her great responsibilities, Kathryn's kindness and generosity meant that she would drop everything to help a friend or family member in need. She made sure the Connolly house was always open to guests. Unexpected visitors were warmly welcomed. As far as Kathryn and Bob were concerned, the more the merrier. Some friends spent so much time with the family that they considered themselves part of the clan and she was affectionately known as Kay Kay, Mrs. C, or Aunt Kathryn to her many nieces, nephews, and family friends. Feeding a household of seven children and their numerous visitors was a challenge that Kathryn graciously accepted. While she was not a master chef, no one ever starved and there was always room for one or two more guests at the table. To expand her cooking repertoire, Kathryn once attended classes at a French cooking school, but she found most of the recipes were not practical for a large, busy family so she stuck to the basics of meat and potatoes for dinner with tuna casserole and Mrs. Paul's Fish Sticks offered on Friday nights. The two recipes from her cooking class that remained staples were Chicken Kiev and Bananas Foster, which the family enjoyed for many years.
Kathryn and Bob understood the importance of humor and fun in life and they shared that with their family and friends. Parties were legendary and centered around well thought out themes. Anyone lucky enough to attend one of Kathryn and Bob's Halloween barn parties, Thanksgiving feasts, pig roasts, or fish boils was in for a memorable experience. When Kathryn and Bob stopped holding parties at home, they hosted St. Patrick's Day celebrations at Hackney's, and Kathryn continued the tradition after Bob's death.
Kathryn and Bob had a love of adventure and travel and enjoyed going on vacations with their extended family. Kathryn said they once went on a vacation without the children and spent most of the trip saying they would have to bring the kids back to show them all the beautiful sights, so they just decided they would not go on vacation without the family again. Whether cruising the waters of Alaska, attending the Calgary Olympics, or watching grandchildren ski, a trip gave Kathryn and Bob the opportunity to share the precious gift of time and laughter with those they loved most in the world. Kathryn was always open to accepting an invitation to attend a sporting event, play, dance recital, or concert for her grandchildren or great-grandchildren. In recent years, she greatly enjoyed attending her great-granddaughter's Irish step dancing performance, which brought back so many happy memories from her childhood.
As she aged, Kathryn cherished the quiet moments at home too. Family and friends could drop by at any time for a visit. After Bob's death, dear friends Madge and Bob Erlenbaugh, Bob Noga, Lois Gates, Maryanne Marymount, Dorie Finnegan, Fr. Jack Clair, and Fr. Jack O'Callaghan would bring Kathryn's sister, Sister Rosemary Connelly for weekly visits. They shared prayers, a meal, and laughter while reminiscing about their lives. Those visits sustained Kathryn, particularly in her time of great sorrow after losing her dear sister Pat, husband Bob and her sons John and Brian in a seven-month period in 2020. Kathryn always smiled with her eyes, but for a time, the spark left her eyes. Miraculously, after suffering a stroke in 2021 she gained a new lease on life and the sparkle in her eyes returned. Her family appreciates the four wonderful years they had with her after that when Kathryn could attend family weddings, baptisms, holiday events, and birthday celebrations. During that time, Kathryn was fortunate to have exceptional caregivers including Miriam Balagtas, Novie Banico, and Candy Calajate. These women became like family and Kathryn's children wish to thank them for treating their mother with love and respect as they added great joy to her final years.
Just as she celebrated her children's accomplishments, Kathryn also welcomed phone calls and FaceTime chats with grandchildren and great-grandchildren to learn about their successes and changing lives. Kathryn loved catching up on all the family news and no matter the time of day she would always have time to chat. When someone would call late at night she would answer and stay on the line as long as needed saying that if someone needs to talk, I am here to listen. Those calls gave her a chance to stay connected with people and share her belief that faith should be the central focus of everyone's life as she encouraged her loved ones to always pray and trust in Jesus' plan for them. She ended every visit or phone call by letting the person know that she was praying for them. The number of people on her prayer list grew with each passing year and she spent hours praying multiple rosaries and the Divine Mercy chaplet daily for the intentions of her family and friends. It was a responsibility she took very seriously. Kathryn's prayers continued for people even after they died, as she regularly prayed for the release of the souls in purgatory and asked God to help lead her family and friends to heaven.
In the past year, as her sister, Sister Rosemary Connelly entered hospice care, Kathryn, ever the devoted sibling, visited her sister at Misericordia four or five times a week for several months. Despite her own declining health and advanced age, Kathryn believed it was important for her to offer her last surviving sibling her love and support as she completed the final leg of her earthly journey and prepared for eternal life in heaven.
While Sister Rosemary Connelly, served as the longtime executive director of Misericordia, it was the struggle that Kathryn and Bob faced in finding programs and facilities for their son Brian that inspired Sister Rosemary to expand the mission of Misericordia Heart of Mercy to make it one of the premier facilities in the world for people with developmental disabilities. With a background in construction and development, Bob accepted Sister Rosemary's request to use his talents and energy to create a new campus for Misericordia on Chicago's north side. What few people realized is that Kathryn acted as the silent partner and confidant in this project that became a life calling and mission for the entire Connolly family and their friends. Two weeks ago, Kathryn attended Misericordia's Heart of Mercy Ball as a special guest of honorees Rita and Bob O'Brien, who received the event's highest honor. During their acceptance speech for the award, Rita acknowledged Kathryn's contribution to Misericordia and said that she believed that Sister Rosemary, who was known for her kindness and generosity, learned those traits from her big sister Kathryn. Kathryn, who never sought the spotlight, looked radiant and beamed with pride. She was truly the belle of the ball as Cardinal Cupich and other guests came over to greet her. The event served as an incredible final tribute to this kind and good woman!
In recent days, Kathryn told her family that she considered herself the luckiest person in the world to have been blessed with the most wonderful parents, siblings, husband, family, and friends. In her last hours on earth, her final words to her family were that she loved them, and she assured everyone that she could continue to pray for them just as easily in heaven as she had done for them on earth!
Kathryn was dearly loved and her sparkling eyes and beautiful smile will be sorely missed, but her wonderful legacy of faith, love, and kindness will live on in her family, friends, and all those touched by her life.
Visitation, Thursday, November 13, 2025, from 12:15 p.m. until time of Mass of Christian Burial, 1 p.m., at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 1775 Grove St. (at Church St.), Glenview. [ Please Note - To view livestream of Mass, please click on Watch Event button in service box below. ]
Interment, All Saints Catholic Cemetery, Des Plaines.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Kathryn's memory to Misericordia Foundation, Attn: Kathryn Connolly Memorial, 6300 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago, IL 60660 (misericordia.com) or The Carmelite Monastery, 949 N. River Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60016.
Funeral info: 847.673.6111 or habenfuneral.com to read full obituary and to leave a condolence message.