William I. Connolly, a retired longshoremen's medical claims manager, died of pneumonia Dec. 18 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Overlea resident was 85.
Born in Baltimore and raised on Hamilton Avenue, he was the son of Joseph M. Connolly, a Baltimore Gas and Electric technician, and Christine Ryan, a homemaker. He attended St. Dominic's School and was a 1947 graduate of Mount St. Joseph High School. He remained active with its alumni association and belonged to the Golden Gaels Club.
He served in the Army from 1951 to 1953 and was stationed in Augsburg, Germany.
Mr. Connolly, who lived in Northeast Baltimore, remained close with a group of boys who played in an alley behind the old Arcade Theatre on Harford Road in the 1930s.
"They were a major part of his life, with get-togethers almost monthly until many of them passed away," said his wife, the former Sylvia M. MacDonald.
Mr. Connolly retired as the medical claims manager for the Steamship Trade Association-International Longshoremen's Association, where he worked for 29 years in Baltimore. He later worked for Preferred Health Network, a medical insurance firm, where he helped in the company's transition to computers.
Mr. Connolly retired fully in 1991, then traveled extensively. After visiting Disney World, he and his wife went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and spent time at the cemetery where many victims of the Titanic sinking are buried. His wife said Mr. Connolly was a Titanic buff and had a 5-foot model of the ship in his home.
They also visited Rome, Ireland, China and Australia, among other destinations.
A memorial Mass will be offered at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church, Belair Road and Willow Avenue in Overlea, where he was a member.
In addition to his wife of nearly 48 years, survivors include a son, Christopher M. Connolly of Perry Hall; and two grandsons.