Remembering Honorary Board Member, Pat Connelly

Pat Connelly, Honorary Board Member, volunteer and cat lover extraordinaire, passed over the rainbow bridge to meet her beloved Persian cat Yani, diabetic cat Donald, IFS cat Nichol and all the other kitties whose lives she impacted because of her passion and support for the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society.

Her first volunteer job with MRFRS was counting the coins in MRFRS’s merchant donation cans. Once asked if counting the coins was boring, she replied, “No, not as long as I do it while watching the Celtics.” Pat joined the MRFRS board in 1996 and served through 2005; for many of those years serving as Treasurer. Every Sunday you could find Pat at the shelter doing payroll and folding laundry. For years, Pat would hand write thank you notes to anyone who donated to the shelter. She knew that every donation, regardless of size, would further her mission of helping cats. If we received a check for $50 she would excitedly call the other board members to share the good news! As a former Newburyport city councilor, she always promoted the needs of community cats with government officials, businesses and foundations with the slogan: “I will make sure to take care of the cats.”

No matter the event – Strut for Strays or Fur Ball – you’d always find Pat present with a smile and words of encouragement. She was an ardent bidder at Fur Ball. If something caught her eye, she’d pursue the item diligently and usually won, regardless of the price, saying, “It’s for the cats.” Many remember an early Fur Ball held at Newburyport City Hall where Pat was bidding on two Red Sox tickets for her boss at the Institution for Savings. Bidding was heated and had gotten over $600 when Pat jumped up and yelled, “$1000!” Everyone gasped and gave her a standing ovation. She beamed and beamed – her mission was accomplished!

Pat was a tireless advocate for the cats and for MRFRS. Her smile, positive attitude, advice and passion will be sorely missed. We are grateful to have known her, and for her countless contributions to our work.

On behalf of the MRFRS family,

Gail Lynch
President, Board of Directors