Madeline Connolly

Madeline Connolly, formerly of Newburyport, left this world peacefully at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers after a period of declining health following congestive heart failure.

Madeline was born in Trinity East, Newfoundland Canada, the 6th child of Mary (Costello) Connolly and Peter Connolly. The family transferred to the small, picturesque fishing village of Brigus in Conception Bay where Madeline spent her childhood and adolescent years. Among the limited career options available to a woman at the time, after high school she pursued a secretarial training program at the Littledale Academy in St. John’s. At the age of 17 in 1948 she moved to Argentia, where she worked as a clerk stenographer at the United States Naval Station for 7 years.

Madeline often described these years as the best in her life for the time spent enjoying the social scene at the officers club where she had the opportunity to meet people from distant places including her future husband.

She moved to New York in 1955 where she raised her 4 children and lived on Long Island until 1992 when she moved north to Newburyport with the goal of being closer to family in Canada.

Madeline focused on her family. Raising her children was the centerpiece of her life. She loved children and always welcomed them into her world. A resourceful self starter, when her children were grown, she created a child day care business at home and established life long relationships with the families of and the children she cared for.

An energetic and passionate individual Madeline expressed herself through ever varying interests over the years. She will be most remembered by her love of jewelry which she wore everyday whether she left the house or not; her “fashion passion” particularly for hand bags and shoes; and projects she pursued obsessively among which were planting a rose garden, restoring antiques, rug hooking and collecting recipes.

In her later years Madeline’s home in Newburyport became her cherished sanctuary from which she hosted visiting family and worked with her daughter and son-in-law in the financial administration of their painting school in Italy.

Madeline is survived by a sister Geraldine in Newfoundland, her children Maddine, Marijo, Dean and Daria, and her grandchildren Michael, Elena, Dylan, Remy and Evan, all in the United States.

At the request of the family funeral services will be private. Arrangements were made by Elliott, Woodworth & Rogers Family Funeral Home, 35 Green Street, Newburyport, MA 01950.