John Francis Connally, Jr.

John Francis Connally Jr. was born in Langsingburgh, NY on November 16, 1924.  He joined his father, John “Jack”; mother, Helen;  and his older sister, Eileen.  He grew up in a loving family, and lived next door to his paternal grandparents and several of his younger aunts and uncles.  At an early age, he fell in love with dogs, and raised and trained  his favorite, Flick, an English Springer Spaniel, and entered him in several competitions.
Jack Connally’s love for his family was seasoned with a strong sense of responsibility.  During World War II, he dropped out of college to work in the family business.  He was particularly devoted to his mother, and took care of her after his father’s death in 1957.  He worked for the State of New York’s Office of the Comptroller for over 20 years.  Jack was a master story teller, and he could make you smell the aroma of a ham cooking in his father’s market on 4th Avenue in Lansingburgh, enticing customers to come in and shop.  When he described his horseback adventures, you could feel the crisp autumn New York air and sense the moonlight that illuminated the way across the fields during his night-time excursions.  He could make you feel the chill in his boyhood attic bedroom, and see the view out of his Waterford, NY home which was across the street from the Hudson River.
Jack took great joy in life, from visits with his sister and her family in Michigan - tailgating and cheering at University of Michigan football games to attending horse races in Saratoga Springs and enjoying the beauty of Lake George.  He delighted in trips with friends to Manhattan and visiting the Westminster Dog Show.  Jack was passionate about his interests and could regale you with details of Irish history, his family’s history, dog breeds, and, in later years, the educational TV programs he loved.  When he was able, he traveled to visit nieces and nephews from coast to coast..
Jack moved to Maryland in 2009 to be closer to his niece, Lesley and her sons, Conor and Colin.  He lived in the Charlestown Retirement community where he made friends from all over the country, and where the staff at Renaissance Gardens cared for him with great devotion, care and love until his death on March 23rd.