Eugene F. Connelly was a charitable, civic-minded businessman who helped create such institutions as the Gateway Clipper Fleet and the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta but later ran afoul of the law over the annual event's funds.

Mr. Connelly died Thursday of congestive heart failure at his home in Upper St. Clair. He was 82.

Mr. Connelly also managed the Mon Wharf parking lot, the Sheraton Station Square Hotel and the Robert M. Chambers Co., a waste disposal firm in Penn Hills. He was an executive with J. Edward Connelly Associates Inc., the firm founded by his late brother, riverboat gambling and supermarket promotions magnate John Connelly, who died in May. Eugene Connelly helped his brother in the creation, financial backing and management of the Gateway Clipper Fleet.

In addition to founding the regatta in 1977 -- he was president and general chairman for two decades -- Mr. Connelly served in leadership roles for the Syria Shrine Circus, Amen Corner, the former Columbia Hospital and Forbes Health System, the Salvation Army, Landmark Savings Association, the Pittsburgh Ballet, Point Park College, Dapper Dan Charities and the Boy Scouts.

He received numerous awards for his charitable work, including presidential citations from Ronald Reagan and George Bush and a letter of commendation from former Vice President Al Gore.

Orphaned at 14, he always remembered those less fortunate and was known to hand out money to people on the street, house homeless people and offer discounts to charities at the Sheraton.

"He was just a loving, caring sweet soul," said one of his two daughters, Janet Fisfis of Peters. "He gave me my values, my morals and made me into the person I am.

"He always wanted to help people better themselves. Our holiday table was always open. He would bring people in and make sure they had a place to go on the holidays."

"He touched many lives and helped many people," said his wife, Carol. "He was a very loving, caring man. He wanted to make a difference, to make people's lives better."

And he did just that, said attorney James Ecker: "He gave more jobs to more people, helped more people, than anybody I've seen in my entire life.

"I've known a lot of people who are generous and I've been involved in charitable work myself, but I've never seen anything like him," Mr. Ecker said. "Even when people didn't ask for anything, and he knew they needed something, he gave it to them.

"He never said no to anybody. I'll never see another Gene Connelly in my life."

In 2000, those qualities were cited in federal court by character witnesses, including Mr. Ecker, former Mayor Sophie Masloff and then-City Controller Tom Flaherty, who asked a judge for leniency when sentencing Mr. Connelly. Mr. Connelly admitted that he didn't pay taxes on $234,932 in regatta funds misused between 1990 and 1995 and pleaded guilty to three counts of lying on his income tax forms.

So moved was U.S. District Judge Robert Cindrich by what he described as Mr. Connelly's lifetime of "extraordinary" good works, that he reduced his sentence to six months in prison. Sentencing guidelines called for 12 to 18 months.

Mr. Connelly also is survived by another daughter, Deborah Buttar of Charlotte, N.C.; two sisters, Dorothy Cline of Gainesville, Fla. and Nancy McCartney of Carrick; and five grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow in the Warchol Funeral Home, 3060 Washington Pike, Bridgeville.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Bridgeville Area Food Bank, 740 Washington Ave., Bridgeville, PA 15017.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.