Constance M Kiley

The Celebration of Life for Constance Kiley will be 2-5 p.m. Sunday, June 4th, at East Lake Country Club in Oldsmar, FL. The internment will be 1 p.m. Monday, June 5th, at Florida National Cemetery-Bushnell.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Suncoast Hospice Foundation.

Constance Kiley is survived by her five children and their families: Kathy & Tom Burke (IL), Nancy & Michael Seidman (MA), Bill Kiley (VA), Kevin & Coleen Kiley (FL) and Carolyn & Michael Tokarz (KS).

Constance Kiley went home to her beloved husband Bill in heaven on Sunday, March 26th, 2023. She was 96 years old. Her 5 children flew from across the country to comfort and be with her in her final hours. She will be dearly missed by them, her 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Connie, as she was known by friends and family, was truly a matriarch. All family news passed through her unless explicitly asked, “Please don’t tell Grandma!” She loved to sing and laugh and passed down her love of a good time to all that spent time with her.

Constance Merrill Hodge was born in Hartford, CT, on October 9, 1926. Her parents were Lillian and Orrell Hodge. Connie was raised with her brother Art and sister Jeanne, who both preceded her in the afterlife. When Jeanne was alive, she and Connie talked every day. She graduated from Commercial High School in New Haven, CT in 1944.

Connie met the love of her life, William Kiley, right before he was called to service in WWII. They devotedly wrote each other and when he returned they got married on September 27, 1947. Between 1952 and 1960, Connie and Bill brought five lives into the world and their loving home—Kathy, Nancy, Bill, Kevin and Carolyn!

Connie started working at New England Bell at a time when women in the workplace were still rare. After taking time off to raise her family she returned to the telephone company in Arlington Heights, IL, where the Kiley’s moved for Bill to pursue an opportunity in the Chicagoland area. Her 20 years of service for the telephone company earned her a pension that was all hers! Though always a New Englander in heart and speech, Connie took well to the Midwest. She saw all her children graduate high school and enter college, get married and have kids of their own.

After surviving breast cancer, Connie started the next phase of her life when she and Bill retired to The Villages, Florida in 1995. Happy to be out of the Chicago cold and close to friends, Connie embarked on this new chapter of her life with the vigor of a woman half her age. She could be found playing cards with friends, watching Days of Our Lives, singing in church or riding in the family golfcart with Bill as he hit his beloved links.

She and Bill loved to travel and visited Ireland, Germany, Italy and Alaska. They also took the whole family (kids and grandkids!) on a cruise to the Bahamas for their 50th wedding anniversary. Much of their time was spent visiting their beloved grandchildren as they competed in a myriad of sports and activities across the country. Sadly, Bill succumbed to cancer in 2003. Connie was with him every moment she could be, down to the last visiting hour.

Connie was very independent and lived alone for almost 15 years after Bill passed away. Her children finally convinced her to move to a retirement community close to her son Kevin in Palm Harbor, FL. He regularly checked on her and, with his wife, graciously hosted the endless procession of family who came to visit Connie.

Connie’s mind kept her active even after her body started to slow down. She did a crossword puzzle every day. Her last months included regularly playing bridge, bingo and attending multiple family gatherings—including a gender reveal party for yet another great-granddaughter!

Her warmth, unique sense of humor and genuine concern for everyone around her will be remembered by all she knew. Every year, she handwrote Christmas cards to each member of the family until she couldn’t write anymore. Even her last moments were testaments to her strength and determination. More than anything, she was determined to make sure her whole family had the best possible chance at life. And she did. So thanks, Connie. Until we see you again, keep looking out for us.