Connie McGovern

“Love Is Stronger Than Death”

Constance Marie McGovern (Sorensen), age 97, of Traverse City, died on July 31st, surrounded by her family. Throughout her life, she was known for her generosity, her kindness and her ever-present sense of humor.

Connie was born December 15, 1928 in Racine, Wisconsin, one of six children born to Danish immigrants, the late Helmuth and Marie Sorensen. She wore her Danish pride throughout her life, entertaining her children with her favorite phrases.

She was a graduate of Washington Park High School in Racine. Connie came from an athletic family and was an avid (and award-winning!) swimmer, competitive cyclist, and speed skater in her youth.

Eager to head out into the world, Connie attended the Augustana School of Pediatric Nursing in Chicago and then worked as a nanny for a family in the area. Her work with that family took her first to Miami Beach where she met and fell in love with her future husband Jack McGovern. She then moved with the family to Manhattan, where she lived for a time at the Waldorf-Astoria. Jack who was from New Jersey continued to court Connie with dancing dates at the famed Rainbow Room.

Connie and Jack married in 1954 and moved to Ann Arbor, where Jack enrolled in dental school. Connie worked as a telephone operator, then full-time mom until they moved to Traverse City in the late 1950s. When not chasing after her four children, she could be found worshipping the sun at the TC State Park Beach, and, in later years, in her backyard. Over the years, Connie took care of numerous elderly neighbors, delivering meals, keeping company, and holding many hands in their last hours.

In the early 1980s, Connie and Jack moved to Ann Arbor for a few years before returning for a life in Traverse City. Their door was always open for her kids’ friends – whether for a meal, a cold beer, or a place to sleep.

Connie lived for 24 years, after the death of her husband Jack in 2002, during which time her children experienced a whole new and wonderful relationship with her. As she grew older, she remained committed to staying in her home, beating her sons in gin rummy (even in her last days) and sharing a vodka tonic with visitors.

In her later years, she showed her family and friends how to live independently. As one friend noted, “She had an incredible run; she knocked it out of the park.”

She is survived by her three sons, Terry (Jean Perry) of Lopez Island, WA., Mark (Eve Skirboll) of Pittsburgh, PA., and Todd (Caroline Gelb) of Brooklyn, N.Y., and daughter, Marianne Priest (the late Tom Priest) of Elk Rapids MI., as well as eight grandchildren and one great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Dr. John F. McGovern.

Arrangements by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, 305 Sixth St., Traverse City. A Celebration of Life will be held some time in the Fall.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Father Fred Foundation, 826 Hastings, Traverse City, Mich. 49686. In Connie’s honor, we encourage you to toast her wonderful life with your family and friends.