After Stroke Befalls Hoboken Teacher/Bar Owner, Community Rallies

HOBOKEN, NJ — The family of a Sparta resident who used to teach and own a bar in Hoboken is raising money after he suffered a massive stroke last month.

Billy Connors, 53, a father of two who has taught business classes and coached in Hoboken, Sparta, Emerson, and Weehawken, was flown by helicopter to overlook hospital in Summit after his stroke on April 15, his sister Debby said. After he was taken off a ventilator, he was moved to Atlantic Rehab in Madison, where he is now.

"His goal is to get back to doing what he loves," Debby wrote on a GoFundMe, "and our goal is to help him get there without the extra burden of the enormous bills he is incurring. Billy resides in NJ with his wife Millie and 2 daughters, Yesenia (10) and Jamie (9) ... and their cat Clover."

Besides teaching business classes for more than 30 years, "He has been coaching as much as 3 sports during a single school year," Debby wrote, "including soccer, basketball, softball, football and lacrosse. He loves all aspects of his job but mostly helping the kids that need him most. The only thing he loves more than teaching/coaching are his daughters who he misses like crazy."

Billy's father, also named Billy, was also a beloved coach and teacher in Hoboken. The elder Billy passed away in 2014.

The GoFundMe started Saturday, and had already raised $25,000 by Tuesday afternoon.

"He has a long recovery ahead of him," Debby said.

Debby said that Connors used to own the Liberty Bar on 14th Street, where he met his wife, Millie. He also had lived in Hoboken following college at St. Peters in Jersey City in the 1990s.

In 2008, Billy and Millie moved to Sparta.

The GoFundMe is here.

Don't miss Hoboken breaking news alerts when they are announced, or get a free daily newsletter each morning with Hoboken news. Sign up with your preferences here.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.