Roy James McConnell, age 91 years, of Wauseon, passed away early Sunday morning, August 2, 2020, in the home of his son. He was born on October 19, 1928 to Roy A. and Helen (Cashman) McConnell in Altoona, PA, weighing in at 14 lbs. He is the oldest son of 10 children.
He quit school at 16 years to help his parents. He worked shoveling coal and delivering to homes. He also worked at the Puritan Plant. At 18 years old he left Altoona, PA to go to work on his sister’s farm in Hicksville, Ohio.
He went to a church youth gathering. He met, courted and married Ila Mae Zimmerman and they married on March 26, 1950 and had 4 boys, Duane, Eugene, Stanlee, Randell.
He worked for Morenci Rubber Plant, Morenci, MI just shy of 40 years as maintenance man. At the Morenci Rubber U.A.W. Union Picnic he won the doubles horseshoe tournament with his son, Stan. Later he married Margaret Zuercher on April 21, 1984. They enjoyed traveling including a cruise until she got sick. She passed on June 2, 1988 from colon cancer.
He then found a childhood sweetheart from elementary school, Phyllis Johnson and married her on March 25, 1989 in Altoona, PA. Roy “Jim” enjoyed and treated her family as his own. She preceded him on May 18, 1997 of ovarian cancer. He found out he had prostate cancer in November 2018 and moved back to Ohio to be close to his sons and grandkids in March 2019.
He is survived by his sons, Duane (Nina) McConnell of Fayette, Stanlee (Mary) McConnell of Swanton, Randell McConnell of Wauseon , and step-daughter, Kathy (Jim) Himes of Hollidaysburg, PA; 13 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; 5 great-great-grandchildren; siblings, Clayton, Alice Imler, Verna Dukeman, Shirley Boore, all of Altoona, PA.
He was preceded in death by his 3 wives; a son Eugene; two brothers, Joe and John; three sisters, Margaret Briskey, Betty Jones and Elizabeth Eyer.
Services will be held on Friday, August 7th at 11 AM at Short Funeral Home in Archbold with Pastor Brad Faler officiating. Interment will follow in the Eckley Cemetery. Friends may call in the funeral home from 9-11 AM on Friday.