John R. McConnell, Jr.

John R. McConnell, Jr. of St. Davids, PA, died on Monday, November 4, 2024 at the age of 72. The founding President of the groundbreaking Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School will be remembered as a visionary leader who believed in a better future for the city’s youth and made it happen. While John’s professional accomplishments were many (a longtime partner at Deloitte Consulting, honorary degrees from Cabrini College and Neumann College, and a place on the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs list), he will be remembered as a humble and steadfast man grounded in purpose; as a fun-loving and kind man with a clear moral compass; and as a true family man who deeply loved his wife, Gwen, four children and eight grandchildren above all else.

Born in 1952 in Camden, NJ, John was the second of four children to Catherine “Kit” (nee Blake) and John R. McConnell, Sr. The only son, John was deeply influenced by his father’s faith, brilliant litigation skills and willingness to mentor others. John’s values were shaped at an early age by various “rules to live by” that he learned from his father, including “Help anyone who asks for help;” “Always speak the truth;” “Respect everybody;” and “Never say no to a nun.” 

In the late 1960s, as a young student at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in North Philadelphia, John was introduced to the Jesuit concept of cura personalis, which translates to “care for the whole person.” This became the guiding principle of John’s life. He took the call to be a “man for others” to heart and answered it in spades throughout the next six decades of his life. 

A naturally curious problem-solver, John had long observed how the lack of high-quality educational options for low-income families contributed to a perpetual and multi-generational cycle of poverty in the city. This was unacceptable to John, a lifelong Philadelphian, and he felt deeply compelled to find a solution. In 2008, John decided to retire from Deloitte after a distinguished 27-year career to begin his journey to advance educational equity for Philadelphia’s youth. In his retirement letter, John wrote: “I have been lucky in many ways for my whole life: good parents, a good education, great professional experiences, and wonderful family and friends. In fact, I have been so consistently lucky that it doesn’t seem fair.” John never took this for granted and made it his life’s work to see to it that others in his beloved city would have the same opportunities as he did. “These kids may not have started at the same place as I did in life,” he said, “but I’d like to ensure that they will finish the same.”

John began his new endeavor by doing what he always did – learning. He took classes at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary and Villanova University to prepare for a teaching role in the Archdiocesan school system while simultaneously serving as Chairman of the Board at The Prep. He soon became a member of the Association of Catholic Teachers and began teaching Religion at Saint Pius X High School in Pottstown, PA.

In true consultant fashion, John continued to cast a wider net and think bigger about how to make a difference. He heard about a Jesuit priest named Father John Foley who developed an unconventional work-study model for students with limited economic resources and opened a school – called Cristo Rey Jesuit High School – that delivered a sustainable, career-focused, college preparatory Catholic education for students of all faiths. The success of Foley’s school – which opened in Chicago in 1996 – ultimately led to its replication across the U.S. and the formation of the Cristo Rey Network. John was astounded by the network’s model of paid professional internships, vigorous academic coursework and loving support to and through college; he knew that it was the perfect framework for what he hoped to build in Philadelphia. 

From his kitchen table, John worked tirelessly over the next few years to build his dream alongside a core team of founding members. Ever the masterful storyteller, John raised seed money through hundreds of breakfasts at Minella’s Diner in Wayne by passionately painting a picture of what the school could be. It worked and soon he had an army of supporters who believed in him and his vision. In August 2012, Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School opened at 5128 N. Broad Street – an old elementary school – with 124 freshmen. For the next 10 years, John served as Cristo Rey Philadelphia’s President. John, a natural-born leader, found his calling in this role and Cristo Rey truly flourished with him as its beacon of unwavering hope and purpose. 

John led a $40 million capital campaign that enabled the construction of Cristo Rey Philadelphia’s forever home – a spectacular state-of-the-art campus at 1717 W. Allegheny Avenue that opened in August 2019. To date, 924 students have graduated with a 100% college acceptance rate. The school currently has 545 enrolled students and 102 job partners. 

John embodied the Cristo Rey Credo and lived with “Outrageously Bold Hope” every single day of his life. It is difficult to capture John’s magnetism and ingenuity, which extended far beyond the walls of Cristo Rey into all facets of his life. Here are just a few examples that epitomize the “John McConnell magic.”

John taught CCD at his local parish for many years and, upon deciding that the textbook was not sufficiently engaging for the children, wrote his own. 

Having watched the legendary Philadelphia Mummers Parade since childhood, in 1988, John decided it was past time to engage Main Liners in the tradition. He founded the Wayne Strutters, a group that competed in the Comic Division of the parade for the next decade. With John as their unwavering captain, the team grew from seven families to nearly twenty by 1998. The Strutters won their category four times with themes such as Skeletons in the Closet, Ocean Pollution Solution and Where’s Krucker? John and his daughter, Katy, skipped the traditional father-daughter dance at her 2021 wedding and instead opted to perform the iconic Mummers strut. 

Despite traveling weekly for over two decades as a consultant, John coached his kids’ sports teams and helped organize their birthday parties – including the legendary pirate party where he buried actual treasure chests in the family’s backyard. 

John loved to foster traditions. In 1997, John, an avid golfer, organized the first McConnell Cup, a golf match with his three sons that became an annual tradition, complete with an engraved silver chalice. As his kids grew older, John was the motivational force behind the epic Xtreme Biking Association “XBA” Bike to the Shore – an annual friends and family 75-mile bike ride from Philadelphia to Avalon. In an effort to positively motivate his grandkids and great-nieces to become proficient swimmers, John developed a series of swim tests at the family’s home in Avalon, NJ that would earn them badges and permission to swim in the bay behind the house, another one of John’s favorite pastimes.

People often referred to John as a Renaissance man; he had so many varied hobbies. He was an avid reader, roadbiker and gardener. He took pleasure in studying opera and the art of pizza-making (mostly for the way that it brought people together for pizza nights around his kitchen counter). He loved spending time with his family and friends in Avalon, a place special to him since childhood. For Christmas gifts, John distributed his annual “Tide Chart” – a book he created each year that explained the astrological and physical forces that drive the tides and calculated the height of the tide at the exact location of his dock in Avalon throughout the entire summer. 

John was a prolific self-taught painter. He painted subjects that mattered to him, such as Cristo Rey and its students, the city of Philadelphia, his children and grandchildren, Avalon landscapes, his home in Wayne and portraits of historical figures that he admired. Never wasteful, John painted one of his greatest works – a massive depiction of two bikes at the 39th St. beach entrance in Avalon where he often rode with his grandson on early summer mornings – on the back of the family’s old ping pong table as a gift for his son, Matt. 

The most repeated adages that John heard growing up were about love. “People need love like a plant needs water” was a favorite. John met his wife, Gwen, in 1976 while both were in the Financial Management Program at General Electric. They married in 1978 at St. Thomas of Villanova Church (the same place where their daughter Katy would marry 43 years later). John left GE to pursue his MBA at Wharton in August 1980 and the couple eventually settled down in St. Davids, PA, where they raised their four children with boundless love. 

John maintained countless friendships from every stage of his life – including from grade school at The Rosemont School of the Holy Child, the Prep (‘70), Georgetown (‘74 grads fondly referred to as “the Swuffalos”), close Deloitte colleagues, many longstanding Wayne-area neighbors and countless people he came to know and cherish throughout his Cristo Rey journey. 

His grandchildren will deeply miss their quiet mornings with Pop – ever the early riser – watching old episodes of Mr. Rogers with a bowl of FiberOne, fishing, playing checkers and dice, making pizza dough and hot fudge, riding bikes, taking adventures to the low-tide beach, and harvesting his garden. 

Rest in Peace, dearest John, Dad, Pop, Bob-a-loo, Mr. McConnell. You will be so deeply missed, but we are certain that your legacy will live on in ways that will surpass even your own Outrageously Bold dreams.

John is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Gwen McConnell (nee Welsch); sons John Blake McConnell (Kimberly) of Riverside, CT, Matthew W. McConnell (Kate) of Westfield, NJ, Michael P. McConnell of New York City, daughter Katy Malonoski (Bobby) of New York City, and adoring grandchildren Lucas, Ava and Zoe McConnell; Teddy, Cece and John “Jack” McConnell; Olivia and Madeline “Millie” Malonoski. Also survived by his sister Kate McConnell, niece Annie Berger (Rory), nephew Dan Greenspun and great-nieces Lucy and Abby Berger. Predeceased by his sisters Mary Ann Knewstub (Denny) and Jane Greenspun (Eric), and his parents.

Relatives and friends are invited to John’s viewing from 2:00 – 4:00 PM on Sunday, November 10, 2024 at Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, 1717 W. Alleghany Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19132. The school’s parking entrance is located at 3238 N. 17th Street. A second viewing will take place from 9:00 – 11:00 AM on Monday, November 11, 2024 at St. Katharine of Siena Church, 104 S. Aberdeen Ave, Wayne, PA 19087, followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00 AM. Interment Private. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in John’s name to Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School to further his mission. “Cristo Rey was created to give our students the chance to imagine a future path for themselves that is unbounded and full of open possibilities. Amidst the rapidly changing landscape of the modern world, and against the backdrop of an increasingly separate and unequal modern society, this [school] is a chance for us to answer the higher calling [of cura personalis], by revisiting what it means to fully prepare young people for their future – as opposed to our past. That’s what we’ve built here. And nothing could make me more proud.” – John R. McConnell, Jr.