“My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-
It gives a lovely light!”
-Edna St. Vincent Millay
Obituary
Kathryn Bridget Connolly Piekarski was born in Lakeland, Florida December 12, 1952 to Jewel Connolly of New Orleans, LA and John Connolly of Sioux City, IA. A precocious and curious young girl, she grew up playing in local swimming holes and cow pastures around her home, graduating from Lakeland High School in 1970 as a proud “Debonette.” Known as “Bridget” to her family and friends, she had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and a particular passion for literature, music and art. She graduated from University of South Florida as a Journalism major, and made contributions to multiple publications as a writer and editor throughout her high school and college years. Her gift for writing, research and investigation was a central part of Bridget’s personality, though her love for aesthetics, beauty, art and design was her true passion. Bridget served as a docent in museums and art galleries across the country including the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, always promoting the arts and her favorite local artists. She remained a patron of the arts and a muse for artists, especially her husband Tony Piekarski, until her last years. A 5’9” stunning, slender red-head and vibrant force of nature, Bridget lit up faces and commanded attention with her presence, but she never failed to be one of the most intelligent and well spoken people in the room, with a kindness and intuition about people that made her an easy and well-loved friend to many. After her graduation from USF, Bridget was offered a fast track to Officer School in the US Army, but she chose instead to start a family, and in 1981 became a mother to her only child, Kathryn, or "Kate." Her life journey led her to live in many cities across the country where innumerable friendships were made and bonds created, including Memphis, TN, New Orleans, LA, Anchorage, AK, Sarasota, FL and one year abroad in London, England 1988-89. Bridget returned to school later in life, attending Tulane University in New Orleans and University of Alaska at Anchorage where she majored in Psychology and minored in Art History, ultimately earning her Masters in Social Work and becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Psychotherapist. With her new knowledge, Bridget served to help children in school districts in Anchorage and across Central Florida, as well as assess patients in crisis for various hospitals and counties before going out on her own to open a successful private practice. She continued to counsel individuals and families for decades in Lakeland and Sarasota, Fl as well as Tyler, Tx before she retired. Bridget served as the co-chair for the American Cancer Society of Anchorage, and volunteered time or donated regularly to many causes close to her heart, including Doctors Without Borders, various Symphony Orchestras, Planned Parenthood and the SPCA. After years of globetrotting, Bridget and her husband moved to Tyler, Tx in 2014 to be close to her grandchildren, who are all thankful for her influence in their lives and the time they were able to have together.
After a long battle with Lupus and Autoimmune Disorder, Bridget passed away peacefully on January 10th, 2025 in the care of her family and nurses at East Texas Hospice of Tyler, Tx. Bridget leaves behind her beloved soulmate and husband of 27 years, Anthony Piekarski, her daughter Kathryn Hamilton-Crain and son in law Burton Crain of Rusk, Texas, step son and daughter in law, Garreth Piekarski and Tess Tomasi of Teaneck, NJ, stepdaughter Leah Piekarski of Gainesville, Fl, as well as grandchildren Gabriel Bradshaw and John Bradshaw of Tyler, Tx, Burton O. Crain and Erik Crain of Rusk, Tx, Cora Piekarski of Teaneck, NJ, Stella and Iris Martin, Patrick Crain, Zoe Crain, and Billy Vermeulen. She also leaves behind a brother and sister-in-law, Tom and Karen Connolly of Lakeland, Fl and niece Michelle Connolly Hall, as well as many loved cousins from the Connolly/Arnett families.
Memorial and tribute page will remain online for as long as the internet survives. Sympathy and condolences may be received at 382 E. 5th St, Rusk, Tx. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in memory of Bridget to the Lupus Foundation of America, or Breakthrough T1D Type 1 Diabetes Foundation.
“There is one last thing that you must do; You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” -Barbara Cooney, Miss Rumphius …and she did.
"Warning" by Jenny Joseph
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
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Together, let us continue the legacy of compassion and kindness that Bridget embodied throughout her life, and fight for others who are battling with the same heartbreaking struggles of autoimmune disorders.
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