Shirley Hartel Connelly

Bellingham, Washington

SHIRLEY HARTEL CONNELLY, 84, long time resident of Fitzwilliam and Peterborough, passed away, Monday August 9, 2010 in Bellingham, Washington.

She was born November 25, 1925 in Manhattan, New York, the daughter of the late Maurice and Isabel (Norton) Tallet. She attended schools in New York and graduated from Park Ridge (NJ) High School.
Shirley had lived in Fitzwilliam for twenty five years before moving to Peterborough in March 2001. In 2008 she moved to Washington to be near her family.

She was an avid collector with varied interests. Her more sizable collections included ocean liner and British Royalty memorabilia. Her passion for these collections took her and her husband Bill on multiple forays to Great Britain where they found many treasures and formed numerous deep friendships. Those who knew Shirley also knew of her love for books and will remember how proud she was of the extensive library she surrounded herself with.
Shirley had quite a flair for interior decorating and especially enjoyed antiques. She got great satisfaction in homemaking in each of her residences and was especially proud of the historical home on the Common in Fitzwilliam.

Shirley was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She was predeceased by her beloved husbands, John Hartel, Jr. in 1966 and William Connelly in 2003.

Surviving family members include her daughter Carole Hartel Gainor and her husband Bill of Bellingham, WA; grandchildren Casey, Macgregor, and Kimball Gainor; Step-daughter Dawn Connelly and step-grandchildren, Sheila and Denise (Traficante), Tabitha Connelly and Caleb McGoldrick.

There will be no calling hours.

Graveside services will be held on Tuesday August 17, 2010 at the family lot in Pine Grove Cemetery, Royalston Road, in Fitzwilliam at 1:00PM. A Reader from the Christian Science Reading Room in Peterborough will officiate.