Enfield Obituary: Constance Harmon, 89

Constance (Penberthy) Harmon, 89, of Enfield, loving wife of William C. Harmon passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 2, 2015, at Johnson Memorial Hospital.

Constance was born September 9, 1926, in Brooklyn, NY the daughter of the late Harry and Viola (Ressegiue) Penberthy. Constance received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Connecticut and retired as a social worker from the Enfield Public School system. A member of the Enfield Congregational Church for over 50 years, she served in many capacities, including Senior Deacon and Church School Superintendent. A ceaseless reader, she enjoyed fiction, biographies and history and wrote poetry throughout her life.

Constance was a skilled seamstress, bird watcher, and painter – passions that she passed down to many others in her family. She was the family genealogist, collecting information about thousands of family ancestors back to the Mayflower and beyond. Constance began donating blood during World War II as a teenager and gave over 15 gallons during her lifetime. She was also a member of two knitting groups, where she knitted over 150 “prayer-shawls” providing comfort to others struggling with illness or grief.

Constance was a vital member of a large and loving family. She was predeceased by her brother and his wife, Alan and Alberta “Skippy” Penberthy. In addition to her husband William, to whom she was married for 69 years, she is also survived by their three children, Dayle Harmon and her husband, Charles Dunlay of Bloomfield, Nancy Martin and her husband, Christopher of Madison, NH and Colby Harmon and his wife, Heidi of Germantown, MD; her grandchildren, Shelly Martin, Joseph and Dayna Martin, Daniel and Anna Harmon, Andrew Harmon and Katrina Adams, Sarah and Christopher Keyser; seven great-grandchildren, Devin, Tiffany, Ivy, Orion, Julia, Charlotte and Ingrid, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Her family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Hartford Hospital, Evergreen Healthcare Center and Johnson Memorial Hospital for the compassionate and caring attention that she received.

There are no calling hours. A memorial service will be celebrated on Saturday, December 19, 2015, at 11 am at the Enfield Congregational Church, 1295 Enfield St., Enfield, CT. Burial will be held at a later date in the Gilman Cemetery in Madison, NH.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Enfield Public Library, 104 Middle Rd., Enfield, CT 06082 or to the Madison Historical Society, P.O. Box 505 Madison, NH 03849.