Constance (Connie) Mary Monaco was born on May 11, 1926 in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, and was one of 9 children of her parents Elizabeth and Daniel DiCola. Connie loved music. She sang as a semi-professional opera singer in her youth and shared her talent and love for music with her family, her friends, and her community throughout her life.
Connie met Joe Monaco in 1950, and the two married in 1951. Over the following 13 years, they had six children, five of whom survive today. In later years, Connie and Joe became grandparents twelve times over. And in more recent years, Connie became a great-grandparent twice! She had the deepest love for her big Italian family and was never happier than when she was around them. She had amazing cooking skills and put those skills to work at family gatherings. She was as generous with food as she was with her love, and she passed down her love and her recipes to her family!
Connie and Joe started their family in Ambler Pennsylvania. In 1966, the family relocated to California, and settled in Newport Beach. Five years later, Joe’s job took them back to Pennsylvania, but they both had fallen in love with California, and three years later moved back – this time to Dana Point. Connie was Joe’s partner in their family business: JEM Aero, selling aviation supplies and pilot training materials. Upon retiring from the business, they moved to Oceanside. Joe passed away in 2001, and as hard as it was to go on living without him, that is exactly what Connie did for nearly twenty years – a testament to her resiliency.
Connie is best remembered for her kindness, her patience, and her peacefulness.