Yolanda (Yoli) Victoria McConnell formerly of West Palm Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 5th, 2022, in Smyrna, Tennessee, with her loving family by her side. Yolanda was born in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, where she studied and achieved a degree in bookkeeping and then worked for the Northern Railway Company.
In 1957, she moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, and worked in the Accounting Dept., for Sears Roebuck Co. where she met the love of her life, Edward McConnell who was the Auditor.
Upon graduating from Loyola University, Edward was commissioned as an Army Second Lieutenant. After a short courtship, he and Yolanda married seven months later in New Orleans, La., on
May 10, 1958, and their military lives began. Together they lived in Texas, Germany, Maryland, Panama, Arizona, Costa Rica, Florida, and began to grow their family along the way. They had a very active social life where together they made many life-long friends. Yolanda loved to entertain and was very active with the Officer’s Wives Club and even after she was a widow she continued making friends with her Latin Costa Rican group in West Palm Beach.
Yolanda’s talents were many, she was an extremely accomplished seamstress, she loved to crochet, knit and macramé, she enjoyed making crafts, gardening and cooking. She was a stylish woman who always dressed to the nines. She never left the house without wearing her favorite signature lipsticks by Revlon #440 Cherries in the Snow.
Family was a priority to Yolanda; she adored her children and had the patience of a saint with her grandchildren. No matter where she lived, she would always make multiple trips annually to visit her family and friends in Costa Rica. Yolanda was a gracious, compassionate and giving person. She found the most gratification giving to others, especially those less fortunate.
Yolanda was a devout Catholic, she had a special place in her heart for the Virgin Mary and Sacred Heart Of Jesus.
She endured a lot of loss and pain throughout the years, especially losing her eldest son, Patrick in 1996 and two years later her husband Ed. She is survived by her children Isabel (Jeff) Urias, Gerald (Evelyne) McConnell, Annette (Ray) Gough, Mary McConnell daughter in-law her grandchildren, Cristina, Marisabel, Kirsten, Cameron, Lauren and Tori, her great grandchildren, Emery, Wesley and Parker. She is also survived by her brother, Hugo Heilbron Drexler and her half sisters Margaret Echeverría y Cecilia Echeverría.
Yolanda, Mom, Ita, Yoli - your memory lives on in the hearts of your family and friends near and far.
