William W. McConnell Of Fairfax Passes Away

[Henry]

Fairfax: William W. McConnell, 87, formerly of Manchester Center and a resident of Hillcrest Road in Fairfax for the past four years, died Tuesday, November 25, 2008, in the Fletcher Allen Health Care.

Born in Washington, Pennsylvania, on January 19, 1921, he was a son of Harry and Nancy (Crane) McConnell.

He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio, a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts plus he acquired additional certification from Harvard University.

During World War II, he served in the U. S. Navy, then the U. S. Naval Reserves until retiring in 1954, with the rank of Lieutenant. On September 8, 1951, he married Miss Nancy Price in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Mr. McConnell was employed as an aerospace electrical engineer with Kaman Aircraft in Bloomfield, Connecticut, for several years. Being an avid reader and his love for books led him to becoming proprietor of “Mad Tom Book Shop” in Manchester Center, where he was a member of the Manchester Center Rotary. He also possessed a passion for electronics, building many radios, which he shared with his family and was a ham radio operator (KB1MRV).

Mr. McConnell is survived by his wife Nancy of Fairfax, two sons and their spouses, David McConnell and his wife Ambrosia of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Daniel McConnell and his wife Kathleen of Georgia, Vermont; five grandchildren, Jeffrey McConnell and his wife Lucinda and their children, Xavior and Ian of Dupont, Washington; Alexander McConnell of Sacramento, California; Nancy McConnell of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Gregory McConnell and Sean McConnell both of Georgia, Vermont.

A private memorial service will be held later, at the convenience of the family. For those planning expressions of sympathy, they are asked to consider the Fairfax Rescue Squad, Inc., P.O. Box 228, Fairfax, Vermont 05454.

The McConnell Family would like to thank the Doctors, Nurses and Staff at Fletcher Allen Health Care for their compassionate support.

Private online condolences may be sent to the McConnell Family through the Heald Funeral Home, St. Albans at www.healdfuneralhome.com.