Smith & Heald Funeral Home
Constance Carmen Gonzales was born on March 31, 1933 in Omaha, Nebraska to her parents, Lawrence Cook Sorrell and Doris Carmen (Bunker) Sorrell. She missed being an April Fool's arrival by about half an hour, which the doctor told her mother was a good thing, since it "might have been okay for a boy, but not for a little girl." Connie continued the habit of arriving just in the nick of time for things the rest of her life. At the age of three months she nearly lost her life to meningitis, which did leave her completely deaf in one year.
Connie was the eldest of three children, being followed by her brother, Gary, and sister, Diane. As her father worked many hours on the railroad and her mother was often ill, it frequently fell to Connie to care for her two siblings even though they were all close in age. As her parents both came from large families, Connie had many first cousins. Coming out of the Great Depression, she said it always seemed as though someone in the family was living with them. Nearly all the extended family, including Connie's immediate family, moved to the Los Angeles area in 1940, settling primarily in the San Gabriel area. World War II found most of them living in the Pico Gardens Housing Project in East L.A. for a number of years. Her family bought their first home in Norwalk when Connie was a teenager.
A gift from a family friend, followed by a scholarship from the Kerr family (canning company), allowed Connie the privilege of attending a private high school. She graduated from Culter Academy in 1951. Due to finances, college was not a possibility. Connie got a job at Prudential Insurance, working her way up to Supervisor by age 23.
In 1956, Connie met James (Jim) Elliott on a blind date set up by mutual friends. They were married nine months later. In July 1958 their first daughter, Jennifer Lynn, was born. A second daughter, Jacqueline Leigh, followed in January 1964. Connie loved being a stay at home mother. She sewed most of the girls' clothes, was a Girl Scout leader, Room Mother, and drove the girls to dancing and piano lessons. Connie loved to garden and read. She was a member of the College Avenue Church of the Nazarene. She enjoyed being the "party planner" for her Sunday School class. Connie was always dressed in matching clothes, jewelry, and had her hair done every week. She loved a good bargain.
Connie and Jim separated in 1980 and later divorced. They did manage to remain friends and celebrate holidays together with their daughters. The divorce was very difficult at the time for her, but what she didn't realize was that this was the start of a new life! She went to college, majoring in Early Childhood Education and did very well, although she ended up working in the mortgage industry. She met Jose (Joe) Gonzales about 1984, again a blind date. After a long engagement, they married in 1988. Connie gained a bonus family of four grown stepchildren and several young grandchildren. Nothing could have pleased her more. She was heartbroken when Joe passed suddenly in February 2002.
Connie moved to Milford, NH in 2019 when her older daughter and son-in-law moved to that area to be closer to their own children as Connie's son-in-law was terminally ill. Connie lived in assisted living the last 5 years of her life, first at Brookdale in Whittier, then at Ledgewood in Milford. We are thankful for the good care they gave her. She passed peacefully during the early morning hours of May 31, 2022, from the effects of Lewy Body Dementia and long-term heart disease.
Connie is predeceased by her parents, her brother, her husband, her son-in-law Craig Willford, her former husband, step-son-in-law Bryan Thomas, and her former son-in-law Sean Dyer. She is survived by her daughters, Jennifer Willford and Jacqueline Dyer, sister Diane Crews, stepdaughter Mary Starr (and husband John), stepsons John (and wife Moon) Gonzales and Michael (and wife Suz) Gonzales, and sixteen grandchildren. Also survived by several nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren. She was survived by stepdaughter Ann Thomas for just two months. Connie was much loved and will be missed.
Although Connie never went hungry, she also never forgot what it was like to be poor. She was a generous donor to many charities and individuals from her modest income. Please consider donating to the Foodbank of Southern California in her honor.
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