James E. "Jimmy" Connors, Jr., 84, of Fairhaven died April 1, 2021 at St. Luke's Hospital.
Born in New Bedford, son of the late James E. and Martha L. (McNamara) Connors, he lived in New Bedford and Dartmouth before moving to Fairhaven in 1980.
Jimmy was a graduate of New Bedford Vocational HS, and later enlisted in US Air Force during the Korean War. He was a member of the special forces boxing team, and won the North East Conference Featherweight title, and the All Air force World Wide Bantamweight title.
After an honorable discharge from the service, he started his professional boxer career, having 38 professional fights, 30 wins, 7 losses, and 1 split decision. He fought the Featherweight Champion of the World, Willie Pep in the Boston Garden and beat the former Bantam weight champ Henry "Pappy" Gault.
He always said" I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for boxing."
When the time came to retire from the ring, he opened his first business,"The Luncheonette", followed by Jimmy Connors Town Tavern, JC's Office, Split Decision, The Main Event, Jimmy Connors Lane Tavern, 37 Union St., Jimmy Connors Irish Pub, and The Garden. He enjoyed greeting his customers, usually with a friendly "Hi Champ, How ya doing?", and a light punch to the shoulder. He was a great storyteller, and was usually at the center of any event. His parting words would always include "Keep your head down and your hands up! ". His other love was animals , his many dogs were treated royally, and he spared nothing to make their life the best. He enjoyed his home, traveling, eating ice cream, and spending time with his many good friends, and family.
Survivors include his daughter, Jinny A. Kimball, and her husband Steven of Fairhaven; a brother, Brother Matthew Joseph Connors SVD of Illinois; a sister, Mary Mountain and husband Ray of Cranston, RI; 2 grandchildren, Joshua and Zachary Hutton, several nieces and nephews and his two Pit bulls Angel and Tasha.
He was the brother of the late Patricia Mareira, and Martha Beatrice Stewart.
His Funeral will be held on Thursday, April 8th at 10 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, followed by his Funeral Mass at St. Lawrence Church at 11 AM. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Wednesday April 7th from 4-7 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lighthouse Animal Shelter 596 Hathaway Rd., New Bedford, MA 02740. For directions and guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
Please be advised that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are strict guidelines that must be adhered to for the safety of everyone. You MUST wear a mask to be allowed entry to the services. Please practice social distancing and avoid any close contact. Guests will be permitted to pay their respects and depart to allow the next guests to enter. Capacity at the funeral home will be limited so there could be wait times outside the funeral home.