Kathleen Connolly

1939 - 2024

Kathleen Connolly
06/12/1939 - 10/28/2024
Kathleen Marie Connolly was a lifelong community organizer and social justice advocate. She was born in Chicago, and spent much of her teen years involved in the vibrant Catholic youth community there. She received a B.S. in sociology and M.S. in urban studies from Chicago's Loyola University. In the 1960s, she was involved in the civil rights, open housing and community empowerment movements of that era. She was one of the first graduates of the training academy established by the celebrated community organizer Saul Alinsky. In 1972 she moved to San Francisco and became involved in the movement for women's rights. In 1973 Kathleen was founding executive director of Women Organized for Employment (W.O.E.), a working women's organization that fought to end discrimination against women in the workforce. W.O.E. was known for its direct-action campaigns in which firms that discriminated against women would face lively protest demonstrations until they changed their practices. From 1979-1986 Kathleen served as Associate Director of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Catholic Charities, where she supported the Campaign for Human Development (CHD) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). In 1980, Kathleen was part of a delegation of community leaders that traveled to Tehran, Iran, at the height of the U.S. embassy hostage crisis, to meet with student and religious leaders to explore the causes of the crisis and prospects for reconciliation. During the 1980s-2000s, Kathleen served as director or senior staff at a series of organizations addressing emergency food needs, housing for poor families, and assisted living for seniors. Kathleen also served on many boards and commissions dealing with women's rights, neighborhood housing and community arts. She and her husband Richard Hayes were married in 1977 and were active together in local community and church affairs. In October 2024, after several years of living with dementia, Kathleen passed away, at home and in her sleep. She is survived by her husband, Richard, by her sisters and in-laws, Patricia and David Buisseret and Margaret and Damon Ogle, and by numerous nieces and nephews and their families. Please remember Kathleen in your prayers, your love for one another, and your work in the world.