Obituary of Harriet Connolly

Harriet C. Connolly 1920-2010 The middle and last surviving child of a prominent Irish Catholic family, Harriet was born in East Newark, New Jersey on February 9, 1920. Her father was Cornelius Augustus McGlennon, Mayor and later Superintendent of Schools in East Newark; an elected member of the New Jersey Senate who was later appointed a Judge of the Court of Errors and Appeals. He also served a term in the U.S. Congress representing the 8th district (despite his anti-prohibition and pro-women's suffrage platform -- he lost his seat in the Harding landslide of 1920). Her mother, Harriet Seton McCabe McGlennon, was in the first graduating class of New Jersey's College of Saint Elizabeth in 1903. After the death of her father during her adolescence, Harriet moved to South Orange, New Jersey. She graduated from Columbia High School and went on to earn her degree -- and captain the fencing team -- at NYU. After college she held a teaching position at Maplewood Junior High School. When World War II ended she wed her long-time sweetheart, the returning Capt. Raymond Herbert Connolly. For many years "Herb" ran the Raymond Connolly Company of South Orange and Millburn--a real estate business started by his father in 1906. Harriet was active as a volunteer in church, school and village organizations far too numerous to list them all. She was a nearly 70-year parishioner of Our Lady of Sorrows Church. She served as President of the Board of the South Orange Library for more than 25 years. Appropriate to someone raised in a political household, she was active in Village politics, including a run for Village Trustee. One volunteer task she thoroughly enjoyed was the annual chore of housing 100 plus players during "Tennis Week" at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club. In those no-prize-money days before the "open era", the Eastern Grass Court Championships were a warm-up for the National Championships at Forrest Hills and as such attracted an international field of top competitors, all of whom needed the week's worth of no-cost shelter that Harriet worked so hard on arranging with scores of local families. When her beloved Herb died unexpectedly in 1979 Harriet took over the reins at the Raymond Connolly Company until her retirement in 1997. It was during this period that she was honored in 1990 as "Woman of the Year" by the South Orange Chamber of Commerce. She was the mother of four: Ann S. deStwolinski of Derwood, Maryland; Raymond H. Connolly Jr. of Grafton, Massachusetts; Paul B. Connolly of Sao Paulo, Brazil; and David M. Connolly of Pleasantville, NY. She was extremely fond of her devoted son-in-law Richard L. deStwolinski and graciously shared her sons with daughters-in-law Stephanie Meline, Candy Gabbard, Patricia Vianna de Mello, and Pamela Landau. She was the grandmother of twenty-five: Lori and Todd deStwolinski; Jubilee, Aladdin, Genevieve, Aimee, Eric, Rebecca, Christian, Julia, Gabriel, Michael and Jessica Connolly; Matthew, Marisol, James and Anna Connolly; Juliana, John Paul, Maria Clara, Elizabeth and Ana Rebeca Connolly; and Jacqueline, Margot and Katie Connolly. She was also blessed with nine great-grandchildren. Having stored up many treasures in heaven, Harriet left this world peacefully from Sandy Spring, Maryland on October 5th. She will be missed by many. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 9:30, Saturday, October 30th at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in South Orange.