Louis Joseph “Joe” Connors, aged 88, died peacefully at home May 3, 2018 with wife Marge by his side. Joe was born in Brooklyn, NY, on March 4, 1930 to Louis Joseph and Agatha Kennedy Connors, and raised in Queens. He graduated from University of Wisconsin (1952) and from Columbia University School of Law (1955). He served in the USAF from 1955 to 1960 as a Navigator- Radar Intercept Officer. He married Margaret Esser July 2, 1955 in San Antonio Tx where she taught the city boy how to drive at age 25. Joe loved flying in F-89s as he and Marge enjoyed being stationed in San Antonio, San Francisco and the Philippines. Following his AF career, Joe returned to NY working with G.E. until he joined NASA at Huntsville, Alabama in 1962. Joe left NASA for Honeywell, in Minneapolis, MN in 1968. While in Minnesota, Joe got involved in politics, leading the local Fridley DFL party to election victories. He was twice elected to the House of Representatives from 1970-1974, campaigning with then Senators Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale. Joe and family returned to NY with the NY State Power Authority before rejoining NASA in 1976 at Langley Research Facility in Hampton, VA working in the Office of Chief Counsel until retirement in 1995. He was a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church serving on Parish Council and co-sponsoring two refugee families from Vietnam. He served on the Board of the Newport News Housing Authority and continued his love of politics working in local elections. He and Marge moved to Apex, NC, in 2004 to be closer to their grandchildren.
Joe’s love of learning began at age 5 reading the newspaper every day. He never had an interest he didn’t fully pursue - especially history, genealogy, SAE fraternity, Montessori education, Karmann Ghias (he rebuilt a VW engine), war gaming, writing (numerous published letters to the editor), traveling to New York for the Opera and dinner at Le Biarritz, cooking (evidenced by many stained pages in Julia Child’s cookbooks), world traveling and sharing his thoughts on all subjects. One of our favorite memories is ice skating on the rink he made at our Minnesota home.
Joe is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marge; his daughter, Mary Kay Lawson and husband, H. West Lawson; grandson, Jack Lawson; granddaughter, Amory Lawson; twin sister, Jean Tomitz, of Garden City, NY; brother, Jim, of Croton-on-Hudson, NY. and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his son Brian and brothers Bob and Jack.
A funeral mass at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church, Apex, will be held Wednesday, May 9, at 11:00 am. Burial will take place immediately following in the St. Andrew Columbarium with reception at the church to follow. Condolences may be made through Apex Funeral Home and Memorials to Transitions LifeCare.
