GUILDERLAND — Robert Noel Connolly was a man of faith with a dry wit, said his wife of 31 years, Mary Lou Bartolotta-Connolly, a former longtime Albany County legislator.

Connolly died on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. He was 84.

He was born in Albany on Aug. 21, 1933 to Bernard J. and Moira (née Whalen) Connolly.

Mr. Connolly was stricken with polio at the age of 3 and had only one arm as a result, but that never held him back, his wife said: He loved sports and excelled at playing them throughout his life. He was inducted into the Bishop Maginn Sports Hall of Fame and played basketball for Siena College for one year, she said.

Mr. Connolly worked to put himself through Siena College, studying religion and earning a bachelor of science degree in economics in 1955, Ms. Bartolotta-Connolly said. He worked for years as a caddy at Wolferts Roost Country Club in Albany.

He built a successful career in insurance, starting with Mutual of Warsaw and then starting his own agency, eventually joining R. P. Debenedetti.

He had five daughters, four of whom survive, with his first wife, Virginia (née Kelly) Connolly, raising them in Altamont. He adored his daughters and was proud of their accomplishments, Ms. Bartolotta-Connolly said.

A Democrat, he always loved politics, she said, and was for years a district leader in North Bethlehem, where the family lived when the children were small. He ran for town council and for supervisor in Bethlehem. He did well, his wife said, despite the fact that it was then a Republican town; he actually won his own district, she said. He also served as a committee member in Guilderland.

Mr. Connolly spent several years as the first athletic director of the Albany Boys Club, Ms. Bartolotta-Connolly said, and was one of the original founders of the Lassie League, a girls’ softball league in which his daughters played.

Mr. Connolly was a past member of the North Bethlehem Fire Department, the Junior Chamber of Albany, and the Guilderland Elks Lodge.

He and Ms. Bartolotta-Connolly married in 1986 and bought a house in McKownville, she said.

She shared his love of golf, and they played at courses including those in Hawaii, Palm Springs, Pebble Beach, TPC Scottsdale, and Torrey Pines.

They loved to travel; one of their most memorable trips was when they took Mr. Connolly’s mother back to Ireland, where she was born, visiting the family homestead and spending time with relatives.

After a long career in politics, Ms. Bartolotta-Connolly made a shift to insurance — “He got me into the business,” she said — and he supported her by forming Bartolotta-Connolly Insurance.

He loved horse racing, golf, and music, said Ms. Bartolotta-Connolly. Her husband’s urn is decorated, she said, with images of horses, a golfer, and a G-clef.

She owns the “L’ecole” sign from the French restaurant that once stood at Fuller Road and Western Avenue. She bought the sign when the establishment closed because, although they had met before, that was where she first had a long conversation with Mr. Connolly and began to know him.

“He had a beautiful life,” she said, adding, “We had a beautiful life.”

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In addition to his wife, Mary Lou, Robert Noel Connolly is survived by four of his daughters: Kathleen Connolly of Troy; Virginia Sharp and her husband, Vernon, of Kentucky; Karen Myers and her husband, Doug, of Guilderland; and Roberta Barrera and her husband, Eloy, of Texas, and by his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Gerald Connolly of Albany; by cousins, nieces, and nephews; and by friends in the Capital District, Palm Springs, and Norway.

His parents and one daughter, Leticia Bruso, died before him. His brother Bernard Connolly and his sister, Rosalie Gaul, also died before him, as did his in-laws, Ben and Betty Bartolotta, and brother-in-law, Robert Arthur.

The family thanks his caregivers, Nery and Marlene, and the staff of Albany County Nursing Home.

Calling hours will be held on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 2 to 4 p.m. in All Saints Catholic Church, 16 Homestead St., Albany, followed by a Mass at 4 p.m., with Father Peter Young as celebrant.

A celebration of Mr. Connolly’s life will follow at the Holiday Inn Express in Latham.

Memorial contributions may be made to Pathfinder Village, 3 Chenango Rd., Edmeston, New York 13335, a school and residential community for people with Down syndrome.