Constance J. Duffy, age 79, passed away on March 23, 2020 at the Methodist Manor Retirement Community in Storm Lake, Iowa. Private funeral services were held on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Storm Lake with Father Brent Lingle officiating. There was no visitation because of national health safety regulations. Burial followed the service at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Storm Lake. The Redig Funeral Home in Aurelia was in charge of the arrangements.
Connie Jane Bell was born on March 11, 1941 at Postville, Iowa, the daughter of Melvin and Annabel Lee (Ruggles) Bell. As a young child her father was drafted into the military service during WWII. At that time Connie moved with her mother to Birmingham, Iowa, to be with Connie’s grandparents, Lee and Myrtle Ruggles. Lee was a pharmacist and Connie spent a lot of time with him at the drug store making ice cream sundaes at the soda fountain. When her father returned from military service at the end of WWII, the family moved to Ottumwa, Iowa, where he obtained a teaching position, then to Davenport, Iowa. Connie was the eldest of three girls and she was a wonderful older sister. She graduated from Davenport High School in 1959.
Connie then attended the University of Iowa for three years as a medical technology major. She was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, and very active in the activities of the house. She married Doug Larson in December of 1962 and had two children, Scott and Wendy. They moved to Storm Lake in 1965; and they later divorced. Connie completed her education at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake. She obtained employment at the Buena Vista County Hospital where she worked in physical therapy.
Connie married John P. Duffy on January 5, 1990 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Storm Lake. Connie then took some time off from her employment and studied to become a certified physical therapy assistant. She obtained her certification and then worked for Sports Rehab in Storm Lake, after which she worked for a national firm called NovaCare doing physical therapy in nursing homes in northwest Iowa.
Connie liked to travel; Connie and John went on a lot of trips to California, especially in the winter to Arcadia, California. They also traveled to the San Diego area in the summertime to be at DelMar. Connie liked to attend the thoroughbred horse races at those locations.
Connie also liked to travel in the upper Midwest, especially into northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, northern Michigan, and especially to Bayfield, Wisconsin on Lake Superior. She also liked to travel through Iowa, into Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas, always stopping at her favorite locations.
Connie enjoyed her new home at Casino Beach, built in 1995. She agreed that John could have a dog at their new house. At first she was not enthused about having a dog, but the more time she spent with the dog the more she liked the dog and the dog liked her. She liked having the dog in the house for security.
Connie enjoyed spending time with her only grandson, Ryan Arthur. He spent a lot of time with her and she liked to do things with him and for him.
Connie spent the last four years of her life at Methodist Manor and was unable to do many of the things she enjoyed prior to that time.
Connie was preceded in death by her parents, Melvin Bell and Ann Bell.
She is survived by her husband, John, of Storm Lake, her son, Scott Larson (Missy Kruse) and daughter, Wendy (Kevin) Lehman, all of Carroll, Iowa, and grandson, Ryan Arthur, of Omaha, Nebraska; two sisters, Muriel Nyblom of Jordan, Minnesota, and Carolyn Eggers of Denver, Colorado, several nephews, and one brother-in-law, Joe and his wife Carolee Duffy of Greenfield, Indiana.