Private family funeral services for Timothy Connelly of Hay Springs, Nebraska will be held at a later date
Timothy Max Connelly was born April 14, 1941 in Crawford, Nebraska to Frank and Jessie Connelly of rural Whitney, the sixth of 10 children, and passed away May 30, 2021 at the Pioneer Manor in Hay Springs, Nebraska, after a short illness. A private service will be held at a later date. Inurnment will be in the Crawford Catholic Cemetery.
Tim grew up on the family farm southwest of Whitney with his six brothers and three sisters and attended a country school in Dawes County, District 24.
Tim always had an interest in cattle and worked at several ranches watching over the herds, and had a knack for knowing each one. In his later years, he enjoyed watching the cattle sales on television, and enjoyed magazines about agriculture, especially livestock.
Because of disabilities that limited him physically, he moved to Sunset Heights in Hay Springs in 1997 and lived there until a few weeks before his death. He loved the Hay Springs area and the people and when he got his little scooter, he was able to get uptown to shop and visit, and he really enjoyed that freedom. He made many friends in the area, over the many years he lived there, but his caretaker, Dawn Blonien and her husband Randy and family, became a big part of his life. Both he and his apartment received excellent care, and home cooked meals were always available in his freezer. He also loved and looked forward to his Bible studies that another friend graciously gave of her time to tach him, and he said learning the Bible made a big difference in his life. Another favorite pastime was going to garage sales, and he collected any animal yard ornaments that ranged from small ones to some very large ones that he kept outside his door. Bears, deer, wolves, and foxes were all part of his menagerie.
Tim had an amazing memory of dates and details of things, even of events from long ago, so he was an interesting conversationalist. His upbeat personality always made a visit with him very enjoyable.
Tim was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Joe and Frank (Mike), three brothers-in-law, and a nephew and a niece. He is survived by brothers: Bill (Merna) of Scottsbluff, NE, Tom (Evelyn) of Genoa, NE, Pat of Kimball, NE, Dave (Jeanine) of rural Whitney, NE; sisters: Colleen Kamas of Boulder, CO, Sara (Jerry) Arnold of Scottsbluff, NE, Mary Ann Felkins of Kimball, NE; and many nieces and nephews and friends, especially Dawn and family