Connie Stubben

PIERCE- Connie Joanne Bright Stubben, October 19, 1946 - May 10, 2014, passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer. Her three daughters were blessed to spend the last hours with Connie, comforting her. Connie was born to Charles “Myron” Bright and Dorothy Stevicks Bright, in Humboldt, Nebraska. In 1965 she married Dailyn “Gus” Stubben; together they had three daughters, Dana, Kim and Ami. Her family always came first. Connie’s five grandchildren – Justin, Kelsi, Brice, Shelby and Bentley have many fond memories. Brice remembers grandma setting up a kiddie pool in the middle of her kitchen for the kids to “swim” when the weather was too chilly to go to the pool. Brice is also especially fond of the fact that when he was very young grandma made him a special blanket, which was eventually worn to bits, so just recently she very diligently found the very same fabric and made him another exact replica. Kelsi and Shelby remember working with grandma at the Pierce County fair, where they played lots of card games while manning the art exhibits. Shelby remembers going to vacation bible school with her and pickling or canning just about any vegetable during the summer. Justin remembers how she always cared for them even when she was sick. On one particular day, grandma found that Justin (age 26 at the time) was sick and she came to his house with food and drink to help him feel better; she did this while dealing with cancer. Bentley remembers teddy bear picnics and grandma putting an apron on him so he could help bake banana bread. She was so honored to be able to “play” with Bentley two days per week after she retired. She would tell everyone that she didn’t babysit but rather “played” with Bentley during those days. She was the best football player out of any grandma in the world, just ask Bentley. Dana and Kelsi remember road trips with Connie at their side; the most memorable was the 9 day trip from Oklahoma to Seattle and down the California coastline on Highway 1. They called their trips the “if butts could talk, they would say get off me…tours”. Ami and Ryan remember how remarkably, mom was hospitalized days before their wedding but mustered the strength to be released on the very day of the wedding so that she could attend. A memory that will last forever is that Connie always placed family first. Even during her final days here on earth she would remind her daughters and grandchildren that family came before anything and that she loved them. Connie attended Joseph’s Beauty College in 1964 and earned her Cosmetology license. Years later she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Dakota at Vermillion, graduating in 1990 just before the birth of her 3rd grandchild. Shortly after graduation she became an elementary school teacher at District 6, Pierce County Country School where she taught 4 to 10 elementary school students each year for the next 8 years. That school was her second home and those students were her second family. When the decision was made to close the country school due to attendance, she became the art and music teacher at Pierce Elementary school; she retired after 22 years of teaching in 2012. Connie loved teaching; she loved all the children that she worked with, many of whom became lifelong friends after their graduation. She worked endless hours at the school preparing for art assignments / exhibits and musical concerts. After her retirement she kept extremely busy and often joked how she didn’t know how she had time to work before because she was so busy. She loved baking, gardening, traveling and just being outdoors…but only when it was warm. During the winter months if you saw her outdoors you may not have recognized her because she would be all bundled up. Connie was blessed with many things; she was however, given the best birthday gift ever; the gift of her last grandchild Bentley who was born on October 19th, 2010, her birthday. The gift of sharing his birthday with his grandmother will be an everlasting gift that Bentley will have also received. Connie battled cancer in 1972 when she was diagnosed as having ovarian cancer, after giving birth to Ami. She won that battle and then in January 2010 she was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. She courageously battled the first round of cancer with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and a surgical procedure to remove her esophagus this battle lasted 17 months. She faced the cancer head-on and mustered all the strength she could to fight. She had won and remained cancer free for two more years. In October of 2013 the cancer, returned, she battled this once again with great courage but complications of the cancer treatments took their toll. Connie’s daughters found their mother to be compassionate, courageous and caring, and all feel very fortunate to have known such a woman. They spent the last few weeks with her and were able to ensure her hospitalizations and subsequent home/hospice care comforted her. She passed away at her oldest daughters’ home in Lincoln on Saturday, May 10th 2014 at 4:47 am with all of her daughters at her side. She is survived by her father Myron Bright and his wife Carol, Humboldt, NE, her brother, Dennis Bright, Charlotte, SC; daughter Dana Stubben, Lincoln, NE; daughter and son-in-law Kim and John Stinson, Norfolk, NE; daughter and son-in-law Ami Stubben-Goetsch and Ryan Goetsch; grandchildren Kelsi Stubben, Lincoln, NE, grandson and granddaughter-in-law Justin and Breanna Robinette of Indianapolis, IN, Brice Stubben and Bentley Goetsch of Norfolk, NE and Shelby Robinette and her fiancée Caleb Price of Ashland, NE. Connie was preceded in death by her mother Dorothy Bright in 1974 and her ex-husband and father of her children Dailyn “Gus” Stubben in 2009. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Stonacek Funeral Home in Norfolk, NE on May 30, 2014 at 7:00 pm.

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Connie Stubben

October 19, 1946 - May 10, 2014