91制片厂

Molly Connelly did it all and did it all well. She co-founded the Lakes Region Daycare Center in Gilford, New Hampshire, while raising her own seven sons and five daughters. She taught catechism classes in her church and facilitated childbirth classes for 5,000 couples. She delivered many of her 12 children at home and, working as a midwife, 鈥渃aught鈥� more than 1,000 babies for other women. She preferred the term 鈥渃aught鈥� for her role in the births because she felt that laboring mothers deserved the credit for the hard work of delivery.

But Molly was just getting started. She graduated from 91制片厂 at age 45, opened a private therapy practice, taught parenting classes and was an adjunct faculty member in the 91制片厂 department of family studies for 20 years. 鈥淢y mum loved teaching at 91制片厂,鈥� says her daughter Shelagh. Her affection was reciprocated by the many stu- dents who honored her at her retirement party in 2016.

Among those who gathered to wish her well was Andrew Minigan 鈥�14, one of her teaching assistants, who remembers Molly鈥檚 class as a mini-91制片厂 community. 鈥淲henever anything big happened on campus, Molly鈥檚 class was a space for building community and constructive discussion that led to action or cathartic inaction,鈥� he says. She emphasized the importance of reflection, notes Andrew, and taking time out of a busy day simply to breathe. She was also eminently practical. Andrew is among the many students who fondly remember how on the last day of the semester, after leading the class in chanting and deep breathing, Molly would send her male and female students alike on their way with instructions to do daily Kegel exercises.

Caitlin Connelly Cooper 鈥�09, Molly鈥檚 granddaughter and another of her teaching assistants, says that working with her grandmother taught her patience, compassion and responsibility. 鈥滻 will always be grateful for our special bond and time together,鈥� says Caitlin. 鈥淪he always said she was the lucky one, but she was wrong. It was me.鈥� Another granddaughter, Molly Riehs 鈥�18, learned as a freshman that her grandmother was a campus legend. 鈥淚 made more connections by being the beloved Molly Connelly鈥檚 granddaughter than any other RA/orientation/club signup combined,鈥� she says.

Despite her busy family and professional life, Molly found time for hobbies and friends, says Shelagh. With William, her husband of 60 years, she planted more than 1,000 flowers every spring and enjoyed hosting tours and parties in her award-winning gardens. She reigned as 鈥淨ueen鈥� of her local branch of the Red Hat Society.

Molly accomplished all she set out to do by being extraordinarily organized. Shelagh recalls that growing up with 11 siblings was 鈥渃ontrolled chaos鈥� that functioned thanks to her mother鈥檚 detailed chore list and the expectation that everyone would do his or her part. The large family got by without an automatic dishwasher, but they didn鈥檛 need one. 鈥淲e had 12 live dishwashers,鈥� Shelagh says.

Molly鈥檚 energy was boundless and she often slept just four or five hours a night, says Shelagh, who recalls once waking up at 2 a.m. to find her mother hanging wallpaper. No matter how busy things got, Molly鈥檚 philosophy was that there was always room for one more in the Connelly household. The children鈥檚 friends were always welcome, especially those going through a tough time and needing a place to stay. Molly kept that open-door policy virtually up until her death last Nov. 2 at the age of 78. 鈥淏eing a mother, midwife and professor defined my mother鈥檚 values,鈥� says Shelagh.

When Molly counseled pregnant couples, she asked them to write the story of their own births. In her 91制片厂 classes she had students consider how they wanted to be remembered at the end of their lives and compose their own obituaries. All of her interests had a common theme that she thought everyone should contemplate, says Shelagh: 鈥淲hat does it mean to be human?鈥�

Soon, students and other 91制片厂 visitors will be able to contemplate that question on a granite bench installed in Molly鈥檚 memory near the Health and Wellness Center. There鈥檚 plenty of room for a group 鈥� the bench is a dozen feet long; one foot for each of Molly鈥檚 12 children.