Constance (Connie) Ann Johnson

Memorial Service Update:

Please join us to celebrate Connie's life on Thursday, July 29, 2021, 11 a.m., at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, 2200 W Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, MN 55431

A light lunch will follow. 

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Connie Johnson, beloved mother and grandmother, passed away on March 3, 2021, at the age of 87 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Born Constance Ann Pruden on June 29, 1933 in St. Paul, Minn. to Allan K. and Clara Pruden, Connie was the eldest of four children, followed by siblings Ril, Nancy, and Paul. Connie attended Longfellow School, graduated from Central High School in 1951, and attended Macalester College. 

It was in her first year at Macalester (in Spanish class) that Connie met her future husband, Jerry (Gerald B.) Johnson in fall 1951, who later became a successful performing magician. The two were engaged on Christmas 1952, and married on July 25, 1953 at Merriam Park Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. 

Jerry served in the US Army, and while he was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Connie moved to join him—they lived just across the border in Clarksville, Tenn. It was during that time that twin daughters Pamela and Ann were born (1954). 

In late 1954, Connie moved with the baby girls back to St. Paul, where Jerry joined them upon his completion of service in February 1955. 

After a few years in St. Paul, Jerry landed a teaching position in San Diego, Calif., and Connie and Jerry moved the family there. During that time, daughters Leslie (1958) and Kimberly (1964) were born. 

In late 1964, the family moved from San Diego back to Minnesota, first living with Connie’s parents on Vernon Street in St. Paul before buying their home at 7321 Queen Avenue South in Richfield. Connie would reside in that house on Queen Avenue for the next fifty years. She began working at the Edina office of Dain Bosworth (now RBC Wealth Management), where she worked for twenty-five years. 

In 1988, Connie’s first grandson Philip Johnson Morley was born to her daughter Pam and son-in-law Pat Morley. In 1994, her second grandson, Leo Alexander Plumer, was born to her daughter Ann and son-in-law Martin Plumer. Connie and Jerry regularly shared in care for Philip and Leo when they were children. 

In 1997, at age 64, she retired from Dain Bosworth, with a memorable and well-attended celebration. Not one to remain idle, Connie began volunteering, along with Jerry, at the poverty alleviation nonprofit Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People (VEAP) in Bloomington, Minn. 

Connie and Jerry enjoyed traveling in retirement, including a trip to the British Isles in spring 1998, and a trip to the Netherlands in summer 2003 for an international magicians’ convention, among other adventures.

In fall 2008, Jerry passed away. Connie continued to live on Queen Avenue until 2015, when she sold the house and moved to live with daughter Leslie and her husband Paul Meissner in Plymouth, Minn.

Connie is remembered for her hospitality and generous spirit, always attending to the needs and comfort of family, friends, guests, and new acquaintances. She formed strong friendships in the neighborhood and in her church, and she believed in respecting the dignity of every human being.

Connie is also remembered for her perpetual cheefulness, which she attributed to her enduring faith. As she told her daughters: "The guiding force in the happiness I feel is my Christian religion. It has been the most important belief from my childhood until the end of my life. The principles of sacrificial love, unconditional forgiveness and love for one's neighbor have meant everything to me. I consider them the three basics of what God taught us through Jesus."

Her loss is a great loss to the community, but all wish her spirit to be at peace. She will be greatly missed by those who loved her.