Dr. Francis Michael Connery

Francis Michael Connery, MD, affectionately known as Frank, Doc, or Chum, passed away peacefully on October 9, 2026, following years-long illness with vascular dementia. He was born on March 10, 1940, in Salem, Massachusetts where he spent his formative years. He lived a life marked by faith, service, devotion to family, and care for others. He spent the last six years of his life at the Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City, Alabama. The family is very grateful for the wonderful care he received at the VA, especially from Dr. Harold Simon, “Chief Honcho Nurse” Jan Horton, and the many caregivers and activity directors.

He was the son of Francis Stephen Connery and Elanor (Smith) Connery. He attended St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts, graduated magna cum laude both from Tufts University (1961), and from Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine (1965). He completed his internship in Chicago and at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria Illinois and his residency and fellowship in Internal Medicine/Cardiopulmonary Disease at Dartmouth-affiliated hospitals in Hanover, New Hampshire. In 1964, he married Marie-Louise “Weesee” Barrier at Sacred Heart Church in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.

From 1965 to 1972, Frank served in the United States Navy as a flight surgeon, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander. His service included duty in Adak, Alaska, in the Aleutian Islands during the Vietnam War, as well as at Naval Air Station South Weymouth in Massachusetts.

In 1972, Frank and his beloved wife Weesee, made their home in Mountain Brook, Alabama. He devoted 40 years to the practice of internal and pulmonary medicine, caring for patients at several Birmingham hospitals. He was a founding physician at Brookwood Hospital. He was always a compassionate physician and he believed in treating every patient with dignity, taking the time to listen and provide thoughtful, personal care. He was also proud of his work in organ donation, helping restore sight through corneal transplantation. He was known as an excellent diagnostician, for documenting patient histories using the Problem-Oriented Record method, and as a lifelong teacher of medicine.

Frank shared 62 years of marriage with Marie-Louise, affectionately known as Weesee to some and or Gigi to others, and together they raised their four children. A longtime parishioner of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, he was devoted to his Catholic faith and had the honor of meeting Pope John Paul II while serving as an attending physician at the ordination of Bishop William R. Houck. He served his community as a Boy Scout leader and chairman of Vietnam Resettlement. He also enjoyed birding and wood carving and was a strong supporter of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, having sent a son and grandsons to the university.

In addition to his beloved wife, Frank is survived by his children: Sean Michael Connery of El Paso, Texas; Kelly Marie Zech of Western Springs, Illinois; Christopher Patrick Connery of Chicago, Illinois; and Kathleen Connery Dawe and her husband, Christopher Joseph Dawe, of Washington, D.C. He is also survived by his brother-in-law Louis J. Barrier and his wife, Carole Barrier; his sister-in-law Karen Connery; and his nieces and nephews Ellen Hull, Adam Connery, and Matthew Connery. His grandchildren include John Francis Zech, Conor Patrick Zech, Harper Louise Dawe, and Mary-Agnes Dawe. He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis Stephen Connery and Elanor (Smith) Connery; his siblings, Maureen J. Hull and Lawrence Connery; his nephews Richard Hull, Mark Hull, and Greg Hull; his granddaughter Caitlin Courtney Zech; his son-in-law Richard Charles Zech; and his daughter-in-law Heidi Marie Connery.

Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by a Funeral Mass at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 16, 2026, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Birmingham, Alabama. May Frank rest in the peace of Christ, and may perpetual light shine upon him.