A private service will be held at a later date for 80-year old Timothy Connelly of Hay Springs, NE.
Interment will be in the Crawford Catholic Cemetery.
Online condolences may be left at chamberlainchapel.com
Timothy Max Connelly was born April 14, 1941 in Crawford, NE, to Frank and Jessie Connelly of rural Whitney and passed away May 30, 2021, at the Pioneer Manor in Hay Springs after a short illness.
Tim, the sixth of 10 children, 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 with 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, Tim 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 its people. When he got his little scooter, he was able to get uptown to shop and visit. He really enjoyed that freedom.
Tim 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 Tim 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 teach him. He said learning the Bible made a big difference in his life.
Another favorite pastime was going to garage sales, where he collected 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
Chamberlain Chapel of Chadron is in charge of arrangements for Tim Connelly.