Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Anna was child number 5 of 8 children born to Michael and Susan in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Soon, she was known as Ann. She was greatly influenced by her mother's generous spirit and kindness. It was her mother who taught Ann how to cook and sew. Ann loved all of her brothers and sisters, but she was especially close with her younger brother Harry. When she was 18, she took a train to Los Angeles with a friend. She quickly landed a job as a cashier at the Forum cafeteria. It was at the cafeteria that she met John Connelly, who was a baker. As the story goes, John made Ann a cake and they fell in love. The young couple went to Las Vegas and got married on Kentucky Derby Day on May 4th, 1950. They went on to add to their family four times. The first born was Patricia, followed by Catherine, Joanne, and John-John. Life was good. As a young mother, she was inspired by Jackie Kennedy and loved wearing hats and gloves. Ann taught her children how to be independent and reach for their dreams. She taught each one of her children how to take the bus and they did so by themselves from a young age. She handed them the money and the bus schedule. She was proud of each one of her children. There were many family trips over the years to Hawaii, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and camping in Yosemite. Her brother Harry visited several times over the years, remembering one special trip to Disneyland. Her sister Gladys and her husband Kenny also visited Ann and the family in California. Once the children were grown, Ann went back to work at J.C. Penney's, working there for many years until her retirement in 1993. Through it all, she was dedicated to her family, especially caring for John-John. She was so proud when he landed a job at McDonalds. The best part of her life was her children and her grandchildren. In fact, she took her grandchildren to get their first library cards, encouraging them to read at every turn. Ann was preceded in death by her daughter Patricia, her husband John, and her siblings, Gladys, Dan, Mike, and John. She is survived by her three children, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, two brothers, and one sister. Ann Connelly will be remembered as caring, loving, and fun-spirited. Buried near her daughter and next to her husband, may she rest in peace...