Constance Susan Moffett

Constance S. (Thompson) Moffett, 80, of East Leroy, MI, and Zephyrhills, FL, was welcomed into the arms of her Heavenly Father on October 25, 2023. She succumbed to the final stages of cancer just two weeks after her entire family gathered around her one last time to celebrate her 80th birthday.

Connie, as she was known by family and friends, was born on October 16, 1943, in Battle Creek, Michigan, to John and Winifred (Fish) Thompson. When she was born, her parents did not have a girl name picked out, so she was named after a nun who rocked her every day in the hospital nursery after she was born.

She grew up on a farm in Lawton, MI, where her parents operated Thompson’s Fruit Market for 49 years. She had many pets on the farm and belonged to 4H for years. Some of her happiest memories from childhood were riding her horse, Lady, all over the countryside to meet up with her best friend, Marlene. She also loved helping her father in the vineyards, where she learned firsthand the basic mechanical skills that served her in jobs later in life.

After graduating from high school, Connie moved to Battle Creek to work for her aunt and uncle as a carhop at the Country Boy Drive In, which was at the corner of Capital and Columbia. One of her childhood friends, John Moffett, worked across the street at Steedman’s grocery store, and visited Connie every day for lunch. They became fond of each other, and John always left her a silver fifty-cent piece for a tip. It was these tips that John and Connie used as a down payment on their first home after they married in 1962 in East Leroy at John’s childhood home.

After marriage, Connie went on to work for Eaton Corp. as a welder on valves. She later became one of the first female mechanical supervisors for Kellogg Company, and retired from there in 1996.

Connie, along with husband, John, and good friends Larry and Judy Radcliff, are the founding members of the Ramblin’ Roadsters Car Club, which is known today as the Southern Michigan Street Rod Association. They traveled all over the U.S., going to car shows and making life-long friends.

John and Connie were married for 52 years.  On every anniversary, John gave Connie a bouquet of roses with one rose for every year they were married.

A year after John’s passing, Connie learned that a former co-worker and long-time friend from Eaton’s had also passed away. Connie reached out to offer her condolences to her friend’s husband, Tom Pharr, having just gone through the heartache herself.  After talking on the phone for a couple of months, they decided to go on a date. Tom has been a part of our lives ever since.  Our family cannot thank Tom enough for the love and compassion that he showed our mother. They were both blessed to have had another chance at finding someone special to laugh, love, and grow old with. In 2019, Connie and Tom fulfilled one of her life dreams by taking a two-week Alaskan cruise. Another bucket-list item she completed was jumping out of a perfectly good working airplane at the age of 73! Yes, she had always wanted to skydive, so she did. She wisely waited to tell her children about it after the fact. She loved adventure, and took her last cruise in March 2023, traveling around the Panama Canal with her companion, Tom, and her daughter and son-in-law Kelly and Chad Miller.

Connie loved reading, gardening, watching the wildlife and especially sharing time with her family and stealing baby snuggles while rocking them gently to sleep. She also could not bear to see an animal suffer or get killed. She once trapped a squirrel, then released it in a local cemetery, only to return the next day with some peanuts so the squirrel wouldn’t go hungry.  She enjoyed sitting in her glider, with a cup of hot tea, watching the sun rise over the lake where she resided for 24 years. She loved baking anything sweet and passed down the love of baking cookies to her granddaughters.

Connie, along with Tom, wintered in Zephyrhills, FL, at Valley Dale Mobile Home Park. She loved her VD friends and always looked forward to her return trips “home.” One of her favorite pastimes there was playing marbles. Another highlight for Connie was going to the casino with friends. A guilty pleasure was watching Survivor. If she were traveling, she had to be in the hotel by the time Survivor came on. If you called to talk to her at that time, she’d have to call you back.

Family was one of the most important things in her life. She was so proud of the day she was baptized as an adult, right alongside her grandsons Kiefer, Kody and her granddaughter, Katie, at St. Mark Lutheran Church. The “Moffett Gorge-n-Go” was her brainchild. She explained that members of the family all live so close together, but everyone is so busy. To stay connected, each family member could take a turn hosting a quick meal once a month. The rest of the family could drop by to eat, share a few family updates, and then leave as fast as they came.

Connie is survived by her sister, Patricia Ann (Marion) Price of Lawton; her daughters, Johna (Michael) Bard of East Leroy; Andria (Randy) Brenner of East Leroy; Kelly (Chad) Miller of Saint Petersburg, FL; and her son John (Olivia) Moffett Jr., of East Leroy. She is also survived by her grandchildren Nick (Cammi) Bard of Athens; Eddie (Amanda) Bard of Caledonia; Amber (Andrew) Moore of Elgin, IL; Kiefer Wiler of Battle Creek; Kody (Krystal) Wiler of Sherwood; Katie (Ryan) Begley of Kalamazoo; Natalie Rowland of Kalamazoo; Aiden Moffett of East Leroy; Carson Walkinshaw of Saint Petersburg, FL and Lacy Brenner of Birmingham, AL; and 13 great-grandchildren: Stetson, Banner, Dilynn, Enzo, Leona, Oscar, Peyton, Ariel, Oliver, Jordyn Constance, Cora, Sabastian, and Rory. She was preceded in death by both of her parents; her daughter, Michelle Lynn Moffett; her brother, Richard Thompson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Connie left behind a handwritten note that read: “She died happy, knowing her life was good, and she was totally loved by her family, her husband, John, and her companion, Tom Pharr. Her wish is for those reading this to be kind to your family and animals of all species.”

In lieu of flowers, Connie asked that loved ones give to their local animal rescue or give of their time & talents to help another person out.

Memorial donations can be sent to:

Joanne’s Ark Rescue

3607 K Drive South, East Leroy MI 49051

www.paypal.com   Joannes Ark Rescue

or a donation can be called or mailed directly into the veterinarian’s office and put on the rescue’s account:

DRVC on Columbia

680 W. Columbia Ave.

Battle Creek MI 49015

Phone: 269-441-3013

Or perform a “Random Act of Kindness” on Connie’s behalf;

Or consider “Paying It Forward” in Connie’s memory.

Connie will be terribly missed by her family, but at the same time, we rejoice that she is pain-free and in the presence of her Lord and Savior, her daughter, husband, parents, and all the family members who have gone before her.

And lastly, the family wants to express their heartfelt thanks to Tom for keeping our mother comfortable with around-the-clock care that allowed her to pass peacefully in her home, overlooking her beloved lake view. 

A graveside memorial service will take place at Morgan Cemetery on Capital SW in Battle Creek, on Friday, November 3, at 11:00 am.