Memorial services for Francis "Skip" Connolly Jr., age 70, of Lemmon, SD will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, July 15, 2011 at the Prince of Peace Chapel of the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon. Pastor Charlotte Kvale will officiate with full military honors afforded by the Smith-Lyman American Legion Post #279 of Thunder Hawk, SD.

Francis Joseph Connolly Jr., "Skip" to his many friends and family, was born on October 28, 1940, in Bayville, Long Island, NY to Francis Joseph Connolly Sr. and Estelle (Reddy) Connolly. His family moved to Yardley, PA when Skip was a young boy. He attended school and graduated from Pennfield High in 1958.


Following his graduation he went to one year of college at the University of Miami. He then returned to Pennsylvania and went to work for RCA, manufacturing night vision equipment. He enlisted in the US Army on March 29, 1962 and was honorably discharged on March 27, 1965.


He was married and moved the family to his wife's native state of Texas. Three children were born to this union: Cathy Jo, Daniel Scott and Stephen. Skip then bought and opened a Conoco Gas Station in Commerce, TX. Following an auto accident, he was hospitalized for a period of time and closed the gas station.


He moved to Colorado to look for work and began working with the Denver Water Board in 1973. Skip attended Metropolitan State College in Colorado and graduated with a Political Science and Public Administration degree. He also attended Red Rocks Community College and graduated with a Waste Water Tech Degree. He spent the next 27 years at a job he loved as a Water Quality Technician. Skip spent countless days in the mountains, testing the water in the creeks and streams that supplied the Denver area with water. He was united in marriage to Connie Gibson on August 23, 1980. In the winter it was not uncommon for him to need snow shoes and snow skis to go to work. Skip retired in 2000.


Following his retirement, Skip and Connie moved to a small farm in Perkins County, SD. He then began working as a parts man for Carquest Auto Parts. Skip and Connie enjoyed the peaceful life the farm provided. Skip enjoyed photography and was an avid reader. He was a member of the Smith-Lyman American Legion Post #279 in Thunder Hawk, SD and served as their commander for one year.


Skip passed away on July 4, 2011 at the West River Regional Medical Center in Hettinger, ND.


He is survived by his wife, Connie Connolly, Lemmon, SD; his mother, Estelle Connolly, Titusville, FL; two sons, Stephen (Jodi) Connolly and Daniel (Michelle) Connolly, both of the Dallas, TX area; one daughter, Cathy Jo Erwin, Dallas, TX area; one step-son, Matthew Holmes, Denver, CO; 9 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; and one sister, Ann Connolly, Titusville, FL.


He was preceded in death by his father, Francis Joseph Connolly, Sr. and one step-grandson, Austin Holmes.