Another touching letter about Algoma's Guardian Angel

SooToday.com's story about Donna Connolly has drawn out a similar story from a couple in Sault Ste. Marie.

As we reported last night, the Algoma District School Board received a letter on Monday from a Toronto couple, thanking them for the response of an unknown woman to their car rollover in March on Highway 17.

Subsequent enquiries revealed that the woman was Echo Bay's Donna Connolly, who retired last night as the board's Central Algoma trustee after losing in last week's civic election.

Our photo, taken at last night's board meeting, shows Connolly (right) being recognized by board chair Wanda McQueen for her years of service.

The following is a new letter, sent to SooToday.com this morning by Wayne and Bonnie Dupuis of Sault Ste. Marie:

**************************************************************** Good morning Mr. Helwig:

I just wanted you to know that this is not the first time Donna Connolly has been involved in helping traffic victims.

On September 3, 2000, our 21-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident just east of Desbarats Ontario.

The next day a lady appeared at our door and handed me a card.

She said "Read this and then you will understand."

She turned and left, and being in the shock that I was, I let her go.

Upon opening the card I discovered that this lady had been behind my daughter for some distance on the highway and was first on the scene when the terrible accident occurred.

She went on to say that even though our daughter had been killed instantly, she felt the need to hold her hand and just stay with her.

The jaws of life were necessary to remove her and Donna stayed with her through all of this.

She went on to say that all she could think of was the fact that she would want someone to stay with her daughter if something like this had happened.

Little did Donna know at the time, but my wife was teaching in North Carolina on that fateful day and Donna was to us, our daughter's guardian angel.

It brought so much peace to us to know that this wonderful lady, and mother, had stayed with our daughter at a time like that.

A few days later, at the funeral home, the director said a lady would like to speak with us in private.

It was Donna Connolly, standing there with a single white rose.

She was asking permission to put the rose on our daughter Karen's casket.

We actually placed it inside the casket and were so struck by the caring attitude of Donna.

On each anniversary of Karen's death, we receive a card and sometimes a phone call from Donna.

I hope she realizes how important it is to us that she continues to communicate with us.

She truly is a guardian angel - just a super lady.

It was no surprise to us to read on SooToday.com that Donna was helping out again on the highways.

It brought back pleasant memories of just what Donna did for our daughter.

We shall be forever grateful.

Perhaps you might like to share this with the family that wrote to you about Donna.

I am sure they would be pleased to know that Donna has always been a caring person to those in need.

We would appreciate your forwarding this letter to those people who were lucky enough to have encountered Donna Connolly. Yours truly, Wayne and Bonnie Dupuis

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