Patricia White Connolly, 85, of Vero Beach, passed away on May 8, 2014.
She is survived by her two daughters, Margaret C. Fisher, and Lauren W. Connolly; two grandsons, J. Trevor and Andrew S. Fisher; sister, Barbara W. Atkin; and four nieces.
A woman of incredible strength, determination, and love, she will be missed by many.
Connolly was born on April 24, 1929 in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Henry A. and Margaret T. White, Connolly was a third generation “Islander.” Her love for the Islands never waved and while she lived other places, she always considered the Islands “Home.”
She was a graduate of The Knox School in Cooperstown, N.Y., and Finch Junior College in New York City. After college, she returned to The Islands and opened a gift shop with her sister, Barbara, in the famed Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
Connolly moved to Florida in 1956, first living in beautiful Winter Park, then Winter Haven, and she finally made it “back to the ocean” in 1976 when she moved to Vero Beach.
She was an active member in the St. Edward’s School Parents Association in the early years, a “Pink Lady” at IRMH for years, and then back into retail, where she worked at The Baggy Bunny Gift Shop as a devoted employee for 25 years.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, May 15, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Vero Beach. Those wishing to remember Connolly may donate to The Volunteer Ambulance Squad, P. O. Box 2240, Vero Beach, FL 32961. An online guestbook may be signed at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.