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Obituary for Mary Connelly
Mary Costello Connelly, a longtime resident of Milford, died on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at Glacier Hills in Ann Arbor. She was 95 years old. Born August 31, 1913 in Kansas City, MO, she was the daughter of James Wood and Nora (Costello) McCallum. An accomplished young horsewoman, Mary McCallum was about to move to Minnesota to teach riding at an equestrian center in Bemidji, when in 1937 she met Edward Connelly, a purchasing agent for Swift and Co., on a blind date arranged by her mother. The couple was married on September 24, 1938, honeymooned in the Ozarks and returned to their third floor apartment to begin their life together in Kansas City. She took care of her young family while her husband served in the Navy during World War II and after the war they were transferred to San Francisco and, in 1960, to Detroit, settling in Milford in 1975 where they bred Arabian horses and showed a Morgan Park horse which was one of the top ten in the country. A great rider and equestrian, Mary Connelly was a member of the Michigan Horse Show Association and well into her seventies and eighties was still competing against younger riders on a national basis, winning regional and national events. Her son and daughter remember �being raised in a barn,� tending to horses, traveling to shows in Oklahoma City and elsewhere. For Mary Connelly, family and faith were central to her life � she was a devout member of St. Mary�s Church in Milford and formerly of St. Owens Church in Franklin -- but horses were a life-long passion. Her husband often joked that he had to �beat out a horse� to marry her. �Oh Eddie,� Mary would always say. Their romance lasted sixty-nine years, until his death last year. Fiercely competitive and hard-working, for Mary, there was never anything that couldn�t be done. When a parish priest once told her she couldn�t make water run up hill � she was trying to irrigate a dry section of pasture � she just kept on digging until she made it happen. The helplessness that attended the last months of her life, relying on the care of family and nurses, unable to assist with the care of others, was one of the few crosses Mary seemed unsuited to bear. So while they mourn the death of a great woman, her family gives thanks to God for her long life among them and for the blessings her faith lays claim to now.
Mary Connelly is survived by her son Thomas (Barbara) Connelly of Milford, her daughter, Mary Cecelia (the late David) DeTar; granddaughters, Catherine Mary (Morrison) Warren, Jennifer Mary Connelly, Narah (Jimmy) Warren and a grandson, Matthew James Martone. Also surviving are five great-grandchildren: Francis, Fiona, Conor, Sarah and John, several nieces and nephews and a host of dear friends.
Funeral from St. Mary Catholic Church, 1955 E. Commerce, Milford, Saturday, Dec. 13th, 10AM, Fr. Ron Anderson officiating. Burial to follow in Milford Memorial Cemetery. Friends may visit at Lynch & Sons, 404 E. Liberty, Milford, Friday 6-9PM. Memorials may be made to St. Mary�s Church. For further information please phone 248-684-6645.
