James J. Connolly

Connolly, James Joseph of East Sandwich, Massachusetts and Dedham, Massachusetts, died peacefully on April 1st at the age of 89, surrounded by family. Beloved husband of 66 years to Elaine R Logan; father of 8, grandfather of 20, and great grandfather of 5. Loving father of Susan and Bart Collins of Sandwich, MA, Jim and Elaine Connolly of Chelmsford, MA, Ellen Martin of Wareham MA, Peter and Dianne Connolly of Haverhill, MA, Stephen and Carol Connolly of Westlake, OH, Laura and John Powers of Dedham, MA, Leslie and Jimmy Coughlin of Dedham, MA and Amy and Bill Colleran of Walpole, MA. He is also survived by his sister Carole Gaffney of Centerville, MA.

Grampy of Caroline and her husband John Desrosier and Patrick Collins, Jimmy and his wife Allie and Tommy Connolly and his fiancé Serena, Andrew and his wife Megan, Erin and her fiancé Christian, and Matty Connolly, Jennifer and her husband Michael Farrell, John and Michael Connolly, Jack and Jo Jo Powers, Jimmy, Stephen, Peter and Colleen Coughlin and Stephen, John, Kevin and Kate Colleran. He was the great grandfather to Cayden and Kaylee Farrell, Ellie and Natalie Desrosier and Olivia Connolly. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Maryjane O’Leary of Chatham, MA and many loving nieces and nephews.

Growing up in Jamaica Plain, he was the middle of three children, his older sister Joan and younger sister Carol. He attended St Thomas Aquinas school, serving as an altar boy and developing his devout Catholic faith. Following St Thomas Aquinas, he attended Boston Latin where he excelled in sports and academics. Boston Latin was followed by attending Boston College, majoring in physics, and graduating as a proud member of “The Great Class of 1957”.

His working career began with NASA and continued through his retirement with the Department of Transportation in Kendall Square. He had many wonderful work friends enjoying an annual get together with them at the Eire Pub in Dorchester well after he retired.

Family celebrations and golf were passions of Jim. Exclaiming “It’s Friday!” was cause for mixing a “Beauty” (Jim’s name for a Manhattan of his own unique creation) had between 5:00 pm and 5:03 pm (never earlier, sometimes later) and taken on his front porch. His theme song was” Bad Bad Leroy Brown” that was played at numerous weddings and parties where Jim was known for his “crazy legs” on the dance floor.

Jim has a quick wit that was accompanied with his classic facial expressions. He was the guy everyone wanted to sit next to at dinner so to be sure not to miss one of his quips.

Jim would say that one of the best times of his life was right after he retired and he and Elaine moved from Dedham to Sandwich in 1996. In Sandwich he was in a new house (with no repairs needed!) and surrounded by friends from childhood and college, enjoying loads of golf and spending times with his best friends.

Winters were spent in Naples where another set of friends were formed. You see the pattern here – wherever he went, a circle of friends was sure to form

If there was a Hall of Fame for nice, kind, funny guys, Jim would surely be a first ballot inductee. He oozed kindness. He was always smiling as were those around him, his warmth was contagious. At family get togethers where a prerequisite is to be able to hold 4 simultaneous conversations at full volume, he would speak with everyone, getting caught up on everyone’s latest events. He took great pride in watching his rambunctious funny family gathered together in a room full of storytelling and laughter. He’d take in the scene and say that he was the luckiest guy. He followed his children’s then grandchildren’s exploits with great interest, sending letters of encouragement when needed and sharing his pride in their efforts.

Jim ‘s favorite times were when he was surrounded by family, it was fitting that he was surrounded with family when he passed away on April 1, 2025 when he could feel the love of his family one last time. His funeral will be filled with tears and laughter, befitting a man who brought so much joy to so many.

A visitation for James will be held Tuesday, April 8, 2025 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home, 154 Route 6A, Sandwich, MA 02563. A Mass of Christian burial will occur Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Corpus Christi Parish, 324 Quaker Meetinghouse Rd, Sandwich, MA 02537. A graveside will immediately follow at St. Peter's Cemetery, Corner or Grove St. & Pine St., Sandwich, MA 02563.

In lieu of flowers, consider making a donation to Continuum Hospice. Their compassionate care for our father was truly remarkable.

Continuum Hospice

1575 Iyannough Road

Suite 3

Hyannis, MA 02601