Obituaries
CONSTANCE MAY KURTENBACH
Volume 32 Issue 7, 8 & 9 | Posted: October 10, 2018
KURTENBACH, Constance May — Died at the home she shared with her beloved husband, Francois Brassard, in the very early hours of June 17th, 2018. Connie lived a full life and she is survived by many family and friends who loved her very much including, her brothers Leo (99), Joey (88), Eddie (86) and her sister Loyola Cleland (84), as well as her daughter Marylou Caden and John Szpik and their two sons Michael and Daniel.
KURTENBACH, Constance May — Died at the home she shared with her beloved husband, Francois Brassard, in the very early hours of June 17th, 2018. Connie lived a full life and she is survived by many family and friends who loved her very much including, her brothers Leo (99), Joey (88), Eddie (86) and her sister Loyola Cleland (84), as well as her daughter Marylou Caden and John Szpik and their two sons Michael and Daniel.
Constance was the ninth child of a Saskatchewan farm family. She spent her early years on a very large farm, and then, moved with her retired parents to Cudworth. She attended the town school but completed secondary school at Sion Academy in Saskatoon. She received a B.Ed from the University of Saskatchewan. She continued her teaching, first in Moose Jaw, SK, then in Edmonton, AB. As Department Head of Music at Austin O’Brien Secondary School, she founded a number of music groups, produced an LP of folk music that brought the group to many public, well-received performances.
In 1967 she moved to secular life in Toronto where she completed a B.A. While continuing her teaching and counselling career, she pursued post-graduate studies in English and Music, and took a diploma in Clinical Psychotherapy.
In 1986 she moved to Victoria with her husband, Francois Brassard. There, Connie wrote and developed works for Rights of Older Women and helped found G.R.O.W. She wrote and delivered workshops in self-esteem, self-management and marriage preparation for couples. Along with her husband, Connie belonged to the National Organization of Married Catholic Priests.
When she and her husband moved to Ladysmith in 1994, she continued her counselling and writing endeavours. She joined painting groups, spiritual groups and finally joined the Chemainus Writers’ group in 2000. This group produced various short writings, and in 2005 successfully published an anthology of short works, entitled The Oyster Speaks. In 2010 Connie self-published In My Mother’s Garden, a masterful collection of beautifully illustrated short stories that capture farm life on the prairies during the 1940s.
In 2011 Connie and Francois returned to Victoria. A celebration of life was held at Centennial United Church in Victoria on July 28, 2018.