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Longtime Courant Staffer And Jazz Critic Owen McNally Dies At 81 – Hartford Courant






Longtime Courant Staffer And Jazz Critic Owen McNally Dies At 81 – Hartford Courant



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http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-br-owen-mcnally-obituary-20180730-story.html
 
Longtime Courant Staffer And Jazz Critic Owen McNally Dies At 81
Ruth Bruno
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Renowned jazz critic and beloved long-time Courant staff writer Owen D. McNally died Saturday. The cause of death was not available late Monday. He was 81.
Known for his “puckish” charm and an “encyclopedic” knowledge of the world of fine arts and inner workings of jazz, McNally’s personality was one that lingered long after he left the newsroom, former editor Naedine Hazell said, reminiscing on the 15 years she worked with McNally. “He was one of those people that never really left, his spirit was still there,” Hazell said.
While his presence was felt in a spiritual sense by some, McNally was not one to leave his work physically, either. He continued to write jazz reviews and feature columns up to three years before his death.
McNally was recognized by editors and former colleagues as a writer whose work was animated by deep knowledge of his subjects.
“Owen was a great writer who helped fuel creativity and dynamism at The Courant through his dedication, knowledge and skill,” said Andrew S. Julien, the Courant’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief.
McNally, a lifelong Connecticut resident, grew up in West Hartford and graduated from UConn in 1959. He started his 40-year career at The Courant as a general assignment reporter and advanced into positions as the night city editor, book editor and editor of the Sunday magazine.
Later in his career, McNally expanded his work from writing to teaching, taking on jobs as an adjunct instructor at Trinity College and the University of Hartford. He also wrote the weekly Jazz Corridor column for WNPR.org.
His experience covering music across the state and his undying interest in the study of jazz made McNally an expert in his field.
“What he didn’t know about jazz in Connecticut wasn’t worth knowing,” Hazell said. “He was the guy. He was a big name in the jazz world.”
While he was known across the state for his writing and knowledge, people who worked with McNally remembered him for his humor and contagious laugh.
“He had this kind of twinkle in his eye when a good joke was coming,” Hazell said.
Former Courant features editor Stephanie Summers said McNally was a “pun-ster extraordinaire” among his colleagues. “There was never a conversation we had that we weren’t laughing our heads off,” she said.
McNally was the first real friend Summers made when she came from Kansas City to work in Connecticut, she said. It was a friendship that would continue years after they had left The Courant.
After learning Monday night of McNally’s death, Summers reminisced about the last phone call she had with him seven months ago. They talked for 90 minutes remembering a former colleague who had recently died, and laughing about the “golden years” of feature writing.
“We made a deal that we wouldn’t let too much time pass before we talked again,” Summers said. “Of course, that would be the last one.”
McNally is survived by his wife, Sheila, his children Patrick and Maura, his beloved granddaughter Maeve and his sister, Susan (McNally) Miller.
Calling hours will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 1 at the Molloy Funeral Home in West Hartford. Funeral services will be private.
 
 

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