Connie Cole Gwinn

Connie Cole Gwinn passed away at Washington Odd Fellows Home on October 5, 2022, at the age of 89. Connie was born on October 4, 1933, in Forks, WA.

Connie’s given name as firstborn was Lacey Constance Cole, after her father, Lacey Cole.

Raised on her family’s wheat ranch in Dixie, WA, she developed a strong work ethic, helping with cooking and feeding the harvest crew, gardening, canning, caring for the livestock, and exercising the racehorses. She spent several summers at Long Acres racetrack helping her Dad with the racehorses and making lifelong friends.

She attended Dixie School grades 1-8 and then to Walla Walla High School, where she graduated in 1951. She went on to Eastern Washington University and studied accounting.

Connie was selected as a princess on the royalty court for Waitsburg Days of Real Sport in 1950 as a junior in high school.  The following year, her senior year, she was selected as a farmerette on the WW Fair and Frontier Days royalty court.

In 1952, Connie met Frank Gwinn, and they married in 1953. Together, they raised three children: Deanna, Danny, and Darla. Connie embraced her role as a mother and community member and served as a 4-H leader for many years.

In 1967, Connie went to work part-time in the kitchen at the VA Hospital. It was not long until she was promoted to accounting in the Supply Dept. She then moved on to Fiscal as an accountant.  She rode her bike to work and enjoyed work activities and participating in their VA bowling league until arthritis forced her to step back from the sport, eventually requiring her retirement. The VA was a fulfilling career; she earned many awards and retired, leaving behind a legacy of dedication and service.

Connie’s marriage to Frank lasted 45 years before they divorced in 1998. In the years that followed, she was reunited with an old friend from her horse racing days, Kelly Roberts. Their five years together were filled with adventure, traveling to Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout the United States, enjoying fishing and jet boat outings. Tragically, Kelly passed away suddenly in 2012, leaving a void in Connie’s life.

Connie was preceded in death by her parents, Lacey and Thelma Cole, her daughter, Deanna Gwinn Stout, and her friend and companion, Kelly Roberts. She is survived by her son, Danny Gwinn, grandson and his wife, Casey and McKenzie Gwinn, and their son, great-grandchild, Arlo Gwinn, and daughter, Darla Gwinn, as well as her brother, Roger Cole. She leaves many nieces and nephews and their children with whom she loved spending time with. Connie’s vibrant spirit, infectious laughter, and love for family and friends are profoundly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.

A celebration of life will be held for family and friends to honor her memory, along with her sister, Sally Rosenbaum, in a combined service, on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at 11:00 am, at Walla Walla Valley Cowboy Church, 8136 Old Hwy 12, Walla Walla.