Ann Dowd Connolly

Ann Dowd Connolly, 87, of Severna Park, died on November 6, 2017. Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on October 5, 1930, she was the daughter of James J. and Clare (Sheehan) Dowd. She married Giles Philip (Phil) Connolly in 1961. They were longtime residents of Bowie, Maryland.

Mrs. Connolly graduated from the College of New Rochelle in 1952. Following college, she worked as a speech teacher in the Holyoke Public Schools before earning a Master’s Degree in Speech and Hearing Therapy from Catholic University in 1956. She then began a career as a speech pathologist, working for the D.C. Society for Crippled Children, where she engaged in groundbreaking work serving children with multiple disabilities. She also worked with hearing impaired students for Prince George’s County, Maryland, Public Schools for many years. She retired in 2002, having helped many students and their families in ways that extended well beyond the classroom. She was an active member of the St. Pius X Church community, where she was a beloved CCD teacher and a leader of the Sodality. After retirement, she directed the Caring Ministry of the Sick and Bereaved at St. Pius X Church in Bowie for many years. In 2002, the College of New Rochelle awarded her the Angela Merici Medal for service to family, church, and the community.

Phil Connolly died in 1991. Ann is survived by her three children and their spouses, James Connolly and Beth Hawke, Muncie, Indiana; Ann Maura Connolly and William Bonk, Chevy Chase, Maryland; and Mary (Connolly) Turner and Edward Turner, Arnold, Maryland, and six grandchildren, Katherine Turner, Sarah Connolly, Maggie Connolly, Philip Turner, Owen Bonk, and Patrick Turner, who filled her with joy. She is also survived by her sisters, Elizabeth Dowd, O.S.U. New Rochelle, New York, and Mary Dowd, O.S.U., Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, in-laws, and friends.

Calling hours will be held at the Robert E. Evans Funeral Home, 16000 Annapolis Rd., Bowie, Maryland, on Friday, November 10, from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, November 11, at 12 noon, at St. Pius X Church, 14710 Annapolis Rd., Bowie, Maryland. A private burial will take place at a later date.

Donations in her memory may be made to Easter Seals Serving DC/MD/VA, 1420 Spring Street, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, or The College of New Rochelle, 29 Castle Place, New Rochelle, NY, 10805.

Arrangements under the direction of Robert E. Evans Funeral Home, Bowie, MD.