Kerry Connelly passed away at Hospice House on April 23, 2026, after a long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Kerry was born July 5, 1949 in Kenosha at St. Catherine’s Hospital to Robert and Margaret Connelly. He was one of 9 children.
Kerry attended St. Mark’s grade school and graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in 1967. He graduated with a BS degree in English and Sociology from UW Whitewater and a master’s degree in public administration from UW Parkside.
In February of 1976, Kerry met the love of his life when he met Geri Kranig on a blind date. They married on September 15, 1979, at St. Mark Catholic Church in Kenosha and were blessed with two children- Bridget and Patrick.
Kerry loved taking Bridget, Patrick, and their friends camping and to Noah’s Ark in the summer months. He was so proud to hear Bridget playing piano and also loved playing tennis with Patrick. They both made him very proud. His happiest times were spending time with his family as well as working around the house and gardening.
Kerry loved celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas. He ran the Turkey race just about every Thanksgiving. For many years, he would drive up north to a friend’s house to cut down the perfect Christmas tree, with the help of Bridget and Patrick. Many years ago, the Connelly family started having themed Christmas celebrations. They would prepare food, select music, and often dress in a chosen country’s traditional clothing.
He worked in juvenile probation at Social Services, and in late 1977, he was hired by Judge John Malloy to start a juvenile intake department for the court. He started the department and added a juvenile restitution and community service program. In late 1987, Kerry was hired by the State Supreme Court, Director of State Courts, as the District Court Administrator for Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth Counties until his retirement. He attended many continuing education programs and graduated from the National Center for State Courts, Institute for Court Management. Final classes were held on the campus of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Kerry was elected class spokesperson for his graduating class and was a member of both the National and International Associations of Court Administration.
In his younger years, Kerry was active in most sports like tennis and football. He loved speed skating and bike racing. He spent many hours skating on the pond and the lagoon at Lincoln Park and was a past member of the Wisconsin Speed Skating Association and the Amateur Bicycle League of America. He practiced martial arts for over 45 years and was a black belt in the Chinese style of Karate.
He served on the KAFASI Board of Directors for seven years, two of those years as board president. He previously delivered meals on wheels and provided volunteer transportation. He was also a member of the Moose Lodge and the Danish Brotherhood and a former member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Kerry was kind and generous and always willing to help where he could. One year, he went to Paris, France, to help a friend replace the roof on a 400-year-old building.
He loved organizing parties (the more the merrier), and he helped organize many class reunions. A couple of years ago, he organized a multiyear grade school reunion that included over 175 people.
Kerry loved just about everything from folk music to classical and anything by the Beatles. He practiced guitar for years but never came out of the basement. Kerry’s other great joy was reading about Irish culture and history and traveling to Ireland many times over the past 40 years. He loved Italian cooking and watching cooking shows, and old movies on PBS. He also loved his martinis and Irish whiskey.
Kerry was preceded in death by his parents (Robert and Margaret), his sisters Loretta, Rosella, Kathleen, Barbara, and brother Brian. He was also preceded in death by his dearest friends: Eleanor Thomey, Judy Schoor, and Richard Thomey.
Kerry is survived by his loving wife, Geri, his daughter, Bridget, and son, Patrick, as well as his sisters Christine (Jim ) White, Theresa (Bob) Martin, and his brother Neal (Barb). He is also survived by his dearest friends Ann (Mark) Whiteside and Michael (Pam) Thomey.
On behalf of Kerry, we would like to thank family and friends who visited him, sent cards, letters, called him, sent text messages, and often helped out around the house and took him places where he needed to go. Many thanks. Kerry really appreciated all the kindness he received. The Connelly family would like to thank Hospice Nurses Beth and Julie for their weekly visits.
A memorial service and wake will take place on April 30 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at the Danish Brotherhood (1300 Sheridan Rd., Kenosha, WI 53140) with a prayer service starting at 5:00 p.m. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorials for Kerry may be made to:
savethechildren.org.
