Connie is making great strides nowadays, if not literally then metaphorically. She has come a long way from the bad bicycle accident on New Year’s Day which broke her leg in

several places. She is now up and about with a cane, and taking on new challenges almost daily. She’s been present at a number of recent Club events, including Diamonds and Denim, and is back in her role as Treasurer.

It’s been a long journey, she admits, but made much more bearable by the generosity of the women of the Heathrow Women’s Club. She wishes to express her profound thanks to the many ladies who called, visited, brought food, offered words of encouragement and love. ―It has been such wonderful support, almost like family, she explained.

Connie is that rare breed, a native Floridian, actually a third generation Floridian. She grew up in Miami and went to Florida State University where she met her husband Denny, also a business major. They married three days after graduation and lived for a

time in Tallahassee and in Jacksonville, where Connie taught business education. They then moved to Atlanta where she worked for a wholesalers association. And then 39 years ago, she and Denny moved to the Orlando area where she has taught business at what was then Seminole Junior College. Along the way, they had two daughters, one of who lives with her family, with granddaughter Grace, in Atlanta. The other lives with her husband in the Orlando area.

The couple founded their company Floorsystems in 1973, initially with just the two of them plus one other employee. The business eventually grew to three locations and more

than 50 employees. Connie was the CEO and the bookkeeper, and still keeps the books for the scaled down version of the company that is now run from their home.

She also spent 10 years working for the Institute of Internal Auditors as a marketing manager.They have lived in Heathrow for 14 years. Connie joined the Heathrow Women’s Club infall of 2006, when her professional duties allowed her more time. She became Treasurer in 2007 and will relinquish that position in May to take over as Membership Chair. She is a member of Beta Lambda House Corporation, serving as secretary for 15 years for this organization, founded by Delta Delta Delta, which runs the sorority house at UCF. She is also an avid reader and member of a book club. Travel is also important to both of them and Connie hopes to make a sufficient recovery in time to fully enjoy a scheduled boat trip in the British Virgin Islands in May.

By Stephanie Strass