JAMES G. CONNOLLY

Anchorage resident James G. Connolly, 63, died March 3, 2005 at Elmendorf Air Force Base Hospital.

A memorial service was held at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 10, at Anchorage Funeral Home and Crematory. Father A.J. Fisher officiated. The family received friends one hour prior to the services.

A celebration of life followed at AMVETS 2, 36th and Old Seward, at 6:30 p.m.

Mr. Connolly was born Oct. 19, 1941 in Paterson, N.J.

He is survived by his sons, James S. Connolly and Richard Wagner, both of Anchorage; daughter, Valerie J. Connolly of Anchorage; brother and sister-in-law, David and Nicole Connolly of Boston; sister, Marilyn Gonzales of Littleton, Colo.; former wife, Judy Connolly of Anchorage; grandson, Bryan Price of San Antonio; niece, Cierra Connolly of Boston; black Lab, Rocket, and numerous nephews and step-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Eddie, and daughters, Shelley and Kerri.

Mr. Connolly was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He was stationed in the country from 1961-1964 and Germany from 1964-1967. He moved to Juneau in 1967 and later moved to Anchorage.

He served in the U.S. National Guard in Anchorage from 1973-1974. He was the owner of A&J Supply, a sales manager at ALAGCO, the vice president of Alaska Brick Co., a sales manager for a construction equipment and machinery company and a parts manager for Alaskan Aircraft Sales.

Mr. Connolly was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles #4207, American Legion Post 28 and Veterans of Foreign War #9981. He enjoyed fishing, barbecuing, best friends, gardening, family gatherings, camping and quiet moments.

His family wrote that Mr. Connolly was "a simple, fun guy with many friends, who loved his family, company/entertaining and to go fishing. He was a member of the armed services and a strong-minded businessman. He enjoyed cooking, gardening and spending time with his chocolate Labrador, Rocket. He was dearly loved and will be missed by his family. We would also like to greatly acknowledge with special thanks Bill McCravey, for his continued support and extra efforts to keep us together."

Memorial contributions may be given to James Sean and Valerie Connolly, 3640 E. 64th Ave., Anchorage, AK 99507.