Constance “Connie” Jean Waymon-Alber passed away peacefully at the Central Utah Veterans Home on April 2, 2023. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee on November 26, 1931. She was preceded in death by her parents Ila Rae and Dayton Beverly Waymon. She is survived by her brother Gerry, her two children Karen Farmer and Mark Alber, Karen’s son Matthew Farmer, his wife Alexa and their daughter Sophia, Mark’s wife Debbie Alber and their daughter Elizabeth Alber.

Connie graduated from Southside High School in Memphis, Tennessee in 1949 and afterwards attended the University of Tennessee for two years before joining the Marine Corps in 1951, where she met and married Glenn Charles Alber, who was also a Marine. Despite Glenn’s declaration that he didn’t date women Marines, she later said that she won him over. Their first child Mark was born in 1954 in Cleveland, Ohio which was Glenn’s hometown. Later they moved to Shelby Forest, outside of Memphis, Tennessee where Connie’s parents lived. They lived in a house built by Connie’s father on a large piece of land and were active in Mount Pisgah Baptist church where Connie’s father was a deacon and where Beverly and Ila Rae were eventually buried.

Although Glenn was a city boy, he had the urge to raise cattle. Accordingly, he and Connie acquired a small herd of cattle and even bred them with the help of Brutus the bull. In 1961, they had their second child Karen and shortly there-after moved to Little Rock, Arkansas to pursue a business opportunity. During their years in Little Rock, Connie developed an interest in politics and managed campaigns for Justice Jim Johnson in his runs for Arkansas Governor and Senate. She had a talent for writing and helped write many of his speeches. Perhaps as a result of her background in the Marines, Connie became a lifelong supporter of conservative causes and even ran for the school board in Little Rock. After Glenn died in 1975, Connie and Karen moved to Memphis, the place Connie always felt was home.

Connie worked at a variety of jobs during her life. At one point she worked as a short order cook, where she claimed to have learned all her cooking skills. She also managed several apartment complexes and ultimately worked as an executive Secretary for doctors in several medical offices in Memphis. As a result of this experience, she had an extensive knowledge of the Memphis medical community and attributed the excellent care she received from the fact that she knew the best doctors in the city.

Connie was a voracious reader and sometimes read a book a day. She primarily loved mysteries but also enjoyed historical fiction by writers like James Michner and James Clavell. Connie was rightfully known as a gifted storyteller, and like Mark Twain, she never let the facts stand in the way of a good story. She had many interesting stories from her time in the Marines when she was able to jump seat on military aircraft and visit Washington, DC and New York City. And some of these tales may well have been true.

Connie was a woman of faith who believed that Jesus Christ is our Savior. She was heavily involved in ministries within every church she attended: children’s ministry, teaching adult and preschool Sunday school and given her penchant for story-telling she frequently gave witness about her faith.

Of the many excellent caregivers Connie had in her last years, Daphne Christ-Lee was one of the best, and she and Connie became good friends. They could be found most afternoons watching and commenting on the soap operas and cooking shows. Daphne was an invaluable companion to Connie who, in her care of friendship, went far beyond any job description.

Connie leaves behind numerous friends. She was a great person to have as a friend and not so good when someone got on her bad side, which fortunately was not too frequent. She loved nothing more than being around her family, and one of the highlights of her life were the many trips she was able to take with them. She led a long, faith-filled and interesting life and she will be dearly missed.