Madelyn B. Connolly

She graduated from New York University (NYU) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education in 1942 and was still, to this day, a Member in Good Standing of Delta Zeta Sorority. For many years she attended the Commencement ceremonies at NYU (even coming from El Paso, TX) and had the distinction of being the second oldest, living graduate to walk in the graduation procession.

From 1942-1944, Maddie worked for Pollack Manufacturer making ship distance buoys, earning $30 a week. She worked with the Project Engineer, but was not told much about the prewar-time endeavor. She had been offered a job in Oak Ridge, TN, enriching uranium (a project which was unknown to anyone there but the scientists) during WWII, but it was too isolated and too far from home. She also taught high school French in NJ for three years.

She married John Alexander Connolly on June 21, 1947, and earned her Master's in French from NYU that same year. Her sons were born December 6, 1950, and December 2, 1953. The family moved to El Paso, TX, in 1958, where John Connolly was the Personnel Director at White Sands Missile Range. Maddie taught first grade at Stanton Elementary School from 1958-1983 (25 years).

On May 27, 1980, John A. Connolly died of a stroke.

On November 25, 1989, her first son, Michael George Connolly also died of a stroke.

Her younger sister, Mary, died in 2016.

Maddie was an avid traveler and visited many, many countries around the world. The only Communist country she visited was China. Possibly her two favorite countries were Australia and Iceland. A young man that she met in Australia visited her in El Paso several times and continued to correspond with her for years. Maddie’s father was a postman, and she credited him with her penchant for writing frequent letters. When traveling, she often attended study programs offered by Elder Hostel (now Road Scholar).

While living in El Paso, she was involved with the University of Texas branch there. She was asked to sponsor a student who had come from Bhutan to study. (The architecture of UT El Paso is modeled after Bhutanese buildings). Over the years, the original student’s (Sonam’s) siblings, friends, and other young people from Bhutan were sponsored by Maddie and were frequently in her home cooking, doing laundry, and just hanging out when not in school. Maddie became acquainted with Sonam’s parents and was invited to come to Bhutan to visit them. She made that daunting trip several times and was introduced to a radically different culture and way of life. She remains a revered adopted elder in that family.

In El Paso, she was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce’s “Discover El Paso” program, and greeted visitors arriving at the El Paso International Airport. She was a supporter of and volunteer with Friends of the Library and a lively member of the Red Hat Society.

In 2008, after recovering from a broken femur, she moved to Austin, TX to be near her son, Kevin. Maddie lived independently in her own apartment until she fractured her hip in 2015 and had to move into assisted living after being released from a rehab facility, at the age of 96.

She was a breast cancer survivor, and for years she crocheted colorful caps to donate to women who’d lost their hair during cancer treatments.

Maddie was an energetic swimmer, even well into her 90s. She loved exercise, especially walking (carried over from her younger days in NY and NJ). She was very personable and enjoyed conversations with everyone. She loved music and always had classical music playing in the background in her room. Her favorites were opera (she frequently attended the Santa Fe Opera while in El Paso), Big Band which her husband played on drums, and of course, the music Kevin played (also a drummer).

She was an enthusiastic reader and also volunteered at an Austin Public Library for years. She attributed her longevity to being born with good genes (her father lived to 95 and her younger sister to 90), staying active, regular exercise, being with younger people, having interests in many things and always learning new things, not smoking, eating and drinking sensibly (although she did have a serious sweet tooth!), and having an agenda/schedule each day, among other things.

All of this and so much more! Madelyn Connolly had an amazing and adventurous life, and she was an amazing and adventurous Centenarian. She will be greatly missed by all.

Kevin and his wife, Angie, would like to thank the staff at Brookdale North Austin for taking such good care of her.

Thank you all for your prayers and best wishes.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her name to the Education Department of NYU. Their website is https://www.nyu.edu/about/giving/ways-you-can-give.html. You will see a choice for “Online.” Go to “Online Giving Forms,” then “Support a School or College.” The education department donating is done through the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development Annual Fund. You may also choose “Support Scholarships”, “NYU Scholarship Fund.” The Education Department’s email address is: [email protected] if you have any questions; and their Federal Tax ID is 13-5562308.