LARIN, Constance 'Connie' - Peacefully, at the age of 71, Connie passed away after a brave battle with Alzheimer’s disease on February 6, 2021.
Connie led an interesting and varied life that took her across Canada and gave her many rich experiences.
Connie was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, as the second child of Allan Leggott and Lois Leggott (nee Whyte).
Connie absolutely adored her dad Allan. She was so very proud of how he was in the military and served in World War II.
She often recounted stories of being on the farm with her cousins and extended family and how she loved to spend the time together. Her mother Lois was the strength behind her ongoing efforts to further her career and attempts to improve her baking skills to the same level as her mom. They spent a lot of time together in the kitchen and garden, simply enjoying each other’s company.
Connie always said that her older brother Keith was the smartest person she ever knew and loved it when she could spend time with him. She especially cherished a spontaneous visit in Ottawa when Keith stopped in with one of his daughters Amanda. William was her next youngest brother who she admired for his spontaneity and musical talents. William was wild and free, traits she always wished she had more of. When her youngest brother Gary was born, she found her inner mother hen and adored the blonde, blue eyed baby of the family. Gary and Connie spent a lot of time together travelling, shopping and gardening; kindred spirits in many ways.
She loved that she was the only girl among her wonderful brothers. While she was growing up and into her 20s, she helped out at the family business, Leggott Transport, owned and operated by her parents. The company was definitely a family affair, as her brothers and many members of her extended family worked there as drivers, mechanics and in the office.
Connie received a Home Economics degree from the University of Manitoba in 1971. She met David Larin at a diner in Regina and they were married at the local RCMP Church in 1972. Connie moved away from home in the early 1970s and settled in Montreal, where she started her own family and two of her sons Scott (1973) and Sean (1976) were born. It was quite a different culture for a Western girl, but she quickly learned to write and speak the French language fluently, a skill she kept for many years.
Connie and her family then moved back west to Regina where she stayed for many years, working for the government at the Canada Service Bureau. It was a busy location, and it allowed Connie the freedom to design numerous educational programs, typically highlighted by a grand multi-media display where Connie could showcase her creativity and design talents. During this time, Connie often visited her mother and brothers and their families in Alberta, and stayed in touch with old friends.
During the 1980s, Connie moved to Ottawa with her family, where she spent two decades in the east-end suburb of Orleans. In addition to a growing family, Connie spent her time working at a well-known, high-end furniture store. She worked her way up to Store Manager, and was a sought-after resource for the latest trends and finding just the right collection to pull together a room. She no doubt was ahead of the HGTV craze, we’d like to think she would’ve been a household name with her own TV show showcasing her talent to bring together design and personality in a beautiful, blended look. Just as she had worked together with her family earlier in life, Connie found jobs at the store for her sons, her future daughter-in-law, and also their friends, allowing them to spend more time together. In the late 1990s, Connie was also re-united with her first-born son Chris (1969), his wife and had the chance to meet Chris’s son Curtis and daughter Vanessa.
Connie was a devoted and hands-on mom to Scott and Sean. One of her favourite activities was to read to them when she could get them to sit still. They shared a love of reading that lasts to this day. She always encouraged her boys in all of their activities, whether it was hockey, baseball, skateboarding, rowing or just playing on the floor playing with cars, trucks and Lego. Her sewing skills came in very handy sewing patches on the never ending holes in the knees of their pants from always being on the ground or sliding into base. Education was important to Connie and she did everything to model lifelong learning, encouraging them to pursue their passions however they chose and was extremely proud when Scott graduated from the University of Western Ontario.
In her later years, she moved to Toronto to live with Scott and Sandra and their two daughters. This allowed her to spend treasured time with, Natasha and Adeline. Connie loved everything about being with the girls. She loved bringing the kids to and from school and spending the rest of her day with her good friend, Carmelita Delag. The days were filled with walks in the park, shopping, and stopping to chat with everyone they met. During this period, Connie also travelled many times to visit her family in the Okanagan, including a number of weddings and family reunions.
The family would like to thank the exceptional and caring team at Cummer Lodge as well as Carmelita Delag for her years of support to keep Connie at home as long as possible.
Visitation and funeral service will be held at Kane-Jerrett Funeral Home on Friday, February 12th from 1 pm - 3 pm, 8088 Yonge St, Thornhill, in accordance with current COVID 19 restrictions. Attendance is limited to immediate family, however the family does invite you to join them through livestreaming at http://ipickart.ca/stream/Larin.
Those wishing may make donations to the Alzheimer Society of Canada or the Canadian Cancer Society.
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