Connie’s Story

Site created on July 21, 2018

Connie is the beloved sister of Deb Ho-Beckstrom, Lily Ho-Pehling, Rennie Calder, Tom ( Butch) Calder and Diane (Ho) Gage, Aly Beckstrom's aunt and Dan Beckstrom's sister in law ( in name only as she has been as a daughter to him for over 40 years). Connie has been a source of love and joy in all of our lives but especially in the lives of Dan, Deb and Aly who have acted as her guardians and  constant loving family for over four decades. While living with a severe developmental disability, Connie has managed to live a full, happy and meaningful life with the support of her family and the equally loving and caring family of staff members from Lifeworks and her various group home care providers. On Friday July 13th, Connie suffered a traumatic back injury requiring emergency surgery at Fairview Ridges Southdale hospital. She is currently paralyzed from the waist down. Her and her family's journey into the next challenging phase of her life is being recorded here. Please join us and share your thoughts, prayers and hopeful insight into what will be a life altering experience for all of us.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Aly Beckstrom

It is with the greatest sadness that I write this update today to let all of you know that Connie passed away yesterday morning, Sunday, December 16th, around 7:30 AM at my home in Lakeville. 

She died in the loving embrace of myself, my parents- Deb and Dan, her sister- Lil and Ashley-Connie's support staff. 

We are thankful for the loving care and support from her hospice team: Natalie- her nurse, Dr. Van Hee- her doctor, the most wonderful support staff- Amanda, Ashley, Jess and Sandra, all of whom kept working to keep her as comfortable and peaceful as possible until the very end. 

We've arranged to have a memorial service for Connie. It will be held at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley (12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley MN 55125) on Thursday, December 20th with a service at 11 AM, followed by a reception and lunch. 

We know that while our angel was here on earth she touched the lives of so many people. Some of you have been following this site, but we know that there are others who haven't been and some that we do not have contact information for. We will not be placing an obituary in any newspapers, so we are hoping that those of you who read this will work your respective "phone tree" network and inform anyone who would like to know this information. We welcome anyone and everyone to her memorial service, even those who only knew Connie and didn't know her family. Please come. 

In lieu of flowers, we ask that memorials be sent to Lifeworks where Connie enjoyed being with her friends, learning ways to increase her independence and engaging in life enriching adventures and therapies. She went to Lifeworks Monday through Friday, for 38 years and she LOVED it.  


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