Friends, family, citizens gather to honor fallen sergeant, lay him to rest

The body of Army Sgt. Ryan James Connolly was buried with full military honors Monday at Santa Rosa Memorial Park before 200 family members, friends, military personnel and well wishers.

Connolly was killed June 24 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Afghanistan. He was the third servicemember from Sonoma and Mendocino counties to die while serving in Afghanistan. Nine have died in Iraq.

The 24-year-old combat medic and paratrooper was lowered into a grave -- amid tears and embraces -- on a hilltop known as Heavenly Garden that offers vistas of Taylor Mountain and the valley where the cemetery is located.

Some people sought the shade of a tree but most endured the fierce summer heat on the hilltop. Dozens of American flags hung motionless in the still air while the somber sounds of bagpipes played "Amazing Grace."

Toward the end of the ceremony, a heavy silence was broken with a three-volley salute by a seven-member firing party.

Connolly had been promoted to sergeant shortly before his death. That promotion was ceremoniously repeated toward the end of the Mass at St. Rose Church earlier in the day.

Maj. Gen. Robert Ostenberg, representing the secretary of the Army, awarded the family the soldier's Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal for his service as a combat medic.

Connolly had just 14 days remaining in his tour in Afghanistan when he died. His wife, Stefanie, of Stegaurach, Germany, and their 1-year-old daughter, Kayla, attended the Mass and burial. The two were flown in from Germany on a military flight last Thursday, along with Kayla's grandparents. Connolly's unit is stationed in Germany.

At St. Rose Church, which was filled to capacity, the Rev. Gerry Gormley asked people to shout out a word or two that best described Connolly. Among them were: loving, tough guy, patriot, bold, hero, one-of-a-kind, dedicated, best friend, focused and determined.

"Some of these words will bring a smile to a face, and some of these words will bring a tear," said Gormley, adding later that Connolly, in only 24 years, "led life to the fullest with an adventurous spirit."

An especially moving moment came when a statement from his father, Jim Connolly, a Santa Rosa mortgage broker, was read out loud by a family member.

"Goodbye, my son. You will not be forgotten," he said in the message.

Jim Connolly recalled an adventurous boy who threw himself at every endeavor, whether it was skiing for the first time at 12, sailing in Lake Tahoe at 13 or his decision to fight for his country after watching the attacks of 9/11 play over and over again on television.

"I salute you, Sergeant Ryan James Connolly," he said.

Donations in Connolly's memory can be made to the Ryan Connolly Trust Fund, c/o Washington Mutual Bank, 835 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, CA 95404.

All proceeds will go to his daughter, Kayla.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@

pressdemocrat.com.