Sharing personal news with our community
February 8, 2022
Dear CSU Community,
I am writing today to share some deeply personal news; my beloved mother Bessie McConnell passed away last night at the age of 95. I was with her, as were my siblings, my husband Vince, and of course my father, the love of her life and her husband of almost 70 years. We are all grieving her loss, but also grateful that we were able to be with her throughout her final days and that we were blessed by her presence in our lives for so long.
Bessie was an extraordinary woman, and while of course I have a daughter’s bias, I think that even a brief sketch of her life story bears this out. She was born in 1926, one of 10 children of Greek immigrants. She was iron-willed, committed to escaping the poverty that defined her childhood and left home after high school to become a nurse. After nurse’s training she enlisted in the army and became a lieutenant in the army nurse corps. While stationed in Germany, she met my wonderful, loving, caring dad with whom she had a 70-year love story.
I am with my family this week and so unfortunately am unable to share the webinar on Courageous Strategic Transformation with all of you that I had invited you to attend today. I know that you all understand, and I deeply appreciate your patience and grace. We will reschedule this event as soon as my schedule permits, so please stay tuned.
Finally, to all of you who have already extended your prayers, kind words, and supportive gestures during these last few weeks: thank you. You have shone light on a very dark, painful time for me and my whole family. I am not surprised by your compassion, but I am incredibly heartened by it. What a wonderful community this is—truly, a Ram family.
Warmly,
Joyce