Mary Constance “Connie” Willey, 61, wife of William H. “Bill” Willey, died Sunday, October 16, 2016 at the Bourbon Heights Nursing Home in Paris, Kentucky.

Live My Spirit; and, thank you for The Journey!

Connie’s wings press
Against horizons’ reach
Deep into the spirit
Pervading our souls
Knowing her wants
Wishing her dreams
Feeling her pains
Would somehow allow
Her to become
A child of the Universe
Standing on the edge
Of something called “Time”
Wanting another chance
To have been
And to become
Freed from herself
To be able to love and be loved
The only way she knew how …
God has been given a good heart
“that never hurt anyone”
By telling her there are other Worlds
In which she will be able to sing.

Born June 22, 1955 in South Charleston, West Virginia, daughter of the late Frank Huffman nee Oxley and Mary Ann “Tippy” Davis, she loved, cared-for, fed, and raised her younger sisters Vicki, Le’Ann, and Marta by cooking makeshift-meals from scant cupboards and all-the-while providing a sense of ‘home’ by teaching them how to read, play the guitar, sing, and get to school on time! They are forever thankful!

Connie’s West Virginia birth is marked by a stone from there being forever held in the warm hearth of Vermont’s Camp Ta Kum Ta, home of this “Phantom” and Chief Chef/Designer of her beloved Catering and House Kitchens! Now this Lady could cook! And, most importantly, these children with cancer will forever have “a camp to come to” i.e., “Camp Ta Kum Ta”! Connie is now teaching these children how to sing!

Amidst these times, Connie was employed as a Programmer at IBM and took the early-buyout after eighteen years; attended the Vermont Culinary Institute, leaving early to start her own catering business, Finger Foods, LLC.; and, all-along conceived a top Holsteiner Horse breeding operation with some of the best stam lines including two “Main Mare Premium Selects” along with the Championship Mare Blue Ribbon and Medallion at the Holsteiner Approvals in New York and, at one point, she had the only Landgraf Mare in the United States!

As well, The United States of America has lost a true Daughter of the American Revolution who fought for what some of us still know and many used to know, but the battle is propped up by a governmental welfare state for votes and illegal immigration. Our Champion has passed into a comfort zone of not having to fight another day against a populace being borne by a culture that says “give me more” or “allow me in” and I will vote for you while receiving payment in one-form-or-another. Throughout it all, she maintained with dignity her blog site of some 2,000 followers under the lonely banner of “VTConservative1”!

Connie’s life was filled with her love for her animal friends such as her Airedales - Oden, Morgaine, Tobias, and Linus as well as her cats - Calypso, Ishtar, and Nutmeg. With some 44 horses at one time, and Connie could surely name them all, she spent her last years on the back deck having Calhoun, Le’Ann, and Tut as daily reminders of a deep love for “the horse” in the serenity of a country setting.

Connie left this earth with the kindness, love, and affection of her husband Bill; the understanding of her sisters aforementioned Vicki/Bob Walsh, Le’Ann Leavitt, Marta/Steve Bird and their extended families; brothers Brian Leavitt and Jerry Huffman; relatives Reba and Lynn Huffman; the gracious acceptance of “Grandma Connie” by Burt Willey/Marilee, Susan Willey/Tom LaMaster, Allyson Willey/Brendan McGuire and their extended families; brother-in-law John Willey and niece Gretchen Willey; Cousin Ray Beauduy; the extended Gribble, Huffman, Davis, and Willey families; and friends Deanna Hall, Peter Nash, Billy “Bones” Turner, Jeff Perkins, Cecile Wagoner, Doris/David Brownell, and Fred/Cecile Reus.

Connie also had a host of many more close and trusted friends she considered to be her family. From time-to-time, if you have inquired about “Connie,” then you know who you are and you can rest assured she treasured your kindnesses. There is also a special remembrance for Coley Begin Moore Willey and David “Doc” LaPointe! Heaven is in for it now!

Uniquely, Connie’s Funeral procession will be drawn by a pair of Connie-bred-Holsteiner-“grey-boys,” Loving Spirit and Lothar (Thank you Fred Merriam!), along with The Willey Farm Hearse (Thank you Jerry & Jeremy Harp and Joe St. Hilaire!) in a Celebration to be held on the grounds of her former farm, the now-home of Camp Ta Kum Ta at 77 Sunset View Road, South Hero, Vermont 05486 on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon. For further details, please inquire on Camp Ta Kum Ta’s website sometime next year.

For Connie’s Kentucky friends and acquaintances that will be unable to make the trip to Vermont next August [or even if you are planning to make the trek!], her family will welcome ALL of you at the Hinton-Turner Funeral Home, 526 Pleasant Street, Paris, KY 40316 [859-987-1555 and hintonturner@bellsouth.com ] on Saturday, November 5th, 2016 from 1:00 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. with a short Service to follow. Catered finger foods/nonalcoholic beverages will be served.

Connie’s wish was that in lieu of flowers, if you are so inclined, that you please consider a memorial gift to Camp Ta Kum Ta, PO Box 459, South Hero, VT 05486 or to Wesley’s Place, Inc., PO Box 5102, Paris, KY 40362.

Connie’s family wishes to also express our heartfelt gratitude to all the Caregivers at the UK Hospital in Lexington, Bourbon Heights Nursing Home in Paris, and Hospice of the Bluegrass from Cynthiana. Thank you all … I mean can you imagine a person so thoughtful and dedicated that before she left work at Bourbon Heights each day she went to Connie’s room and made sure her iPod and Cell Phone were loaded with songs to carry an enfeebled person into the night with the joy of hearing songs from her youth? Maple Syrup! You all know what I mean, you know what I am saying. Thank you and May God Bless each-and-every-one of you! Your efforts are cherished. Connie’s journey was made whole by your dedication to those transitioning to the next life. You should always be proud of your contribution and YOU have not gone unnoticed.

Should you wish to contact Bill Willey for any reason, you may do so by using thewilleyfarm@earthlink.net and/or 802-373-3636 along with a Mailing Address of PO Box 891, Paris, KY 40362.

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