Pa

My Dad (Pa) was William Thomas McConnell, Jr.

He was born near Mt. Olivet, in Robertson County, KY, the youngest son of WT and Willie Kate Wells McConnell. After graduating High School in Cincinnati, OH he went to Eastern Kentucky Teacher's College in Richmond. There he met and married June Mallory Redding (Lady).

After graduation they moved to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa , where he enrolled in Med School (he had dreams of being a doctor). During his first year, he had appendicitis and had to drop out. He worked for a short time in Atlanta, and then he and Lady went to live with his parents in Mt. Olivet. There Lady had their first child (Mae Kathrine - Kae, Kayce). WT got Pa a job with the Internal Revenue Service in Louisville, KY. While in Louisville Lady gave birth to four more children: Linda Lee (Linda), Robert Redding (Bob), William Thomas, III (Bill) and Elizabeth Sherfy (Sherfy).

I remember living in three homes around Louisville: the first on Hycliffe Ave.,the second on Macon Ave, (both in St. Matthews), and the third in Ten Broeck Subdivision (out in the Eastern edge of Jefferson County). This was a home that Lady designed, and Pa had built for us. This was the home that all five children lived in until we graduated High School, and from which we were married.

Pa worked for the IRS and became the Head of the Tri-state Region. He was offered a job in Washington, DC, but turned it down (he didn't want to raise his children in that city). Instead, he took a job as Vice President, Treasurer of Lincoln Income Life Insurance Company (a job he kept until he retired). The last years at Lincoln Income, Pa and Lady moved to New Castle in Henry County, KY and bought their last home (the two story brick home with white pillars in front) on Cross Main Street. There Pa and Lady adopted their sixth child, William Holmes McConnell (Willie, Bill)., while he was in High School.

Pa was an outstanding businessman, husband, father, church leader, and community leader.
> When he retired from Lincoln Income Insurance Co, it took four men to replace him
> He was a loving husband to Lady and leader of our home.
> He was a loving father
> He was the Chairman of the Board of Elders at church
> He was was active in the community (and usually President of the group)
Most of the people in Louisville and then Henry County loved and respected Dad.

He met everyone who came into our home with the same greeting: “Is there anything you need to tell me?” Most people sought out his council, and he was known as a “Pastor to Pastors”.

Pa was faithful in supporting me in my baseball career. He came to almost every game, and saw that the rest of the family came also. He was president of the St. Matthews Little League and helped see that the facilities were greatly expanded.

Pa was a wonderful father to me and a man that I greatly admired.