Constance Sue Lair

November 6, 1939 – October 18, 2020

Constance “Connie” Sue Lair (Bennett), fondly known as “The Redwood Sweetheart” entered into rest peacefully on Sunday, October 18, 2020.

Connie was born on November 6, 1939 in Fletcher, Oklahoma to parents Annie Elizabeth and Charles Ervin Bennett. Connie was blessed with a large and loving family and was the third eldest of eleven children which included eight girls and three boys; Charles (Sonny), Velta (Sissy), Ervin (Gene) (deceased), Larry (deceased), Charlotte, Donna, Lana, Ruth, Deanna (Katie) and Carla.

Her family moved from Oklahoma to California in 1953, where she attended Del Norte High School in Crescent City, CA. After High School, like her mother and numerous sisters, she chose the profession of nursing. With a great deal of life experience but no formal education, later in her career she challenged the California State Board of Exams and in 1980 passed the exam receiving her Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) Certification. She continued to work in the field of nursing for more than 30 years serving others until her retirement in 2007.

Connie was preceded in death by her first husband Tommy Holcraft, her second husband Roland Lair, and her first born daughter Karen Holcraft. She is survived by three of her four children; her son Jack and wife Susan (Nashville, TN), her daughter Rhonda and husband David (Bonney Lake, WA), her son Patrick Lair and wife Angela (Antelope, CA), her eleven grandchildren (and their spouses) and seven great-grandchildren.

Connie loved singing, playing guitar and gardening with family. When growing up in Crescent City, CA she sang at a number of local hot spots and was often applauded as the resident Patsy Cline, but known to those listening as The Redwood Sweetheart. With the help of her brother Sonny, she made several 78 vinyl records, and later in life enjoyed singing karaoke and recording cassette tapes of some of her favorite songs, such as Crazy, Walking After Midnight, Sweet Dreams and These Boots Were Made for Walking. She was lovingly referred to by several of her grandchildren as Nana.

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