Constance "Connie" Harig

Loving, generous, compassionate, and kind, Constance "Connie" Harig lived a life rich in faith, family, and friends. Connie embodied beauty and grace and led with her heart in all things. An animated storyteller, she possessed a talent for making people feel special, listening with empathy, offering great advice, and inspiring much laughter with her quick wit. Whether singing in the car, volunteering, traveling, hosting a party, or caring for loved ones, Connie embraced every moment as a gift. In so doing, she proved a powerful inspiration for how to live a wholehearted and joyful life. A true angel, Connie was cherished by all who were blessed to know her.

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 17, 1946, to Norbert William and Dorthea Frances (Kiryanoff) English, Connie grew up on the west side of the city, on Hamilton Street off Richmond Street. Her father worked at General Motors Fischer Body, and her mother worked in a restaurant. Connie enjoyed the good company of her siblings, John, Patricia, and JoAnn, her grandparents, and her favorite aunt, Nana, who lived close by. Her Grandpa English adored her, and once, while her Grandpa John was babysitting, Connie and Pat broke the sink from the wall by sitting on it! She also enjoyed spending time with her aunts and Uncles during the holidays. The family also enjoyed short vacations around Northern Michigan, especially trips to her Uncle Jackson's cottage on the Muskegon River.

From the time she was a little girl, Connie was prim, proper, and good-natured. When she was five, while her father read the newspaper, he told her that according to the paper, "Connie English burned down Turner School," which she totally believed was true. Connie attended St. Anthony Catholic Grade School on Richmond Street, where she was always the spelling champ and enjoyed ice skating at Richmond Park after her schoolwork was done. She played the accordion, did crafts at a local church's summer program, and loved going to church; she even learned some of the Latin the priests spoke during mass. Many hours were spent playing and hanging out in the schoolyard with the neighborhood kids or with her dog, Nicky.

Connie loved to read and do nice things for others. She and her cousin Sara would get books from the bookmobile every week. They would switch books when they were done. And, she often read to her sister JoAnn while babysitting her. She also taught JoAnn how to ride a bike. She wouldn't give up, encouraging JoAnn to keep going, no matter how many times she crashed and scraped her knees. When she was 13, she'd take her sisters to Humpty Dumpty Restaurant on Saturdays so their parents could have some "alone" time.

In time, Connie attended West Catholic for a few months, while it was housed in the St Adalbert's School Building, before continuing her schooling at Union High School on Turner Ave on the West Side of GR. She took typical coursework with an emphasis in secretarial work, and her favorite subject was English. She loved playing records, dancing, and attending dances, especially at the George Welsh Auditorium. As ticket prices were inexpensive at the time, she loved going to concerts, several of which featured popular stars.

As a single mother, Connie was strong and did her best to raise her sons in a loving and supportive home. Though strict, she taught them to stand up for their beliefs and never quit. She also made sure they had fun. Some of their fond memories include trips to Lake Michigan, Grand Rapids Owls hockey games, bowling, and more.

Connie's first job was working at the root beer stand on Leonard Street on the West side of GR. She also worked in an insurance office, at Lear Siegler, and in a factory on the SW side of GR. She also babysat for a neighbor's child. She worked as a bartender for many years at Lako's and Jerry's Roadhouse, worked downtown at the Pantlind Hotel, and as a manager at the Little Mexico Restaurant on Bridge Street on the west side of GR. The job she retired from was at Burch Fabric near the Ford Airport. There was another unofficial job that Connie and her sister JoAnn invented for themselves when they appointed themselves as the unofficial lawn and landscaping inspectors of Cory Lake. Their equipment consisted of hard hats, a self-made badge, a clipboard, and a pad of paper. They charged themselves with walking around the neighborhood and commenting on neighbors' lawns and landscapes. If they found something negative, they would issue a repair notice. They planned to give the neighbor the notice; however, after considering the consequences, they figured the neighbors would not quite understand their humor. After reviewing the neighborhood, they believed they had accomplished their mission and immediately laid themselves off, considering filing for unemployment.

At her 15-year class reunion, Connie was delighted to be reintroduced to Al Harig, who was now in the new-home construction business as a builder. She and Al began dating and enjoyed visiting small restaurants where they would drink a Miller Lite with a shot of peach Schnapps. With their hearts set on sharing the future, Connie and Al married in an outdoor ceremony and joyfully welcomed each other's children into their lives.

The newlyweds celebrated their marriage with a honeymoon at St. Pete's Beach in Florida, where they discovered a restaurant serving the best peanut butter and chocolate pie. Connie liked the pie so much that Al had a pie flown in for a special anniversary. Following their honeymoon, Connie and Al made their first home in a duplex on the northeast side of GR that Al built.

During the 80's, Connie and Al moved to Melbourne Beach in Florida, where they lived in a condo along the Banana River. In the late 80s, they moved back to GR and bought an old house on the west side, gutting it while living in it and completely remodeling it. One fond memory was waking up every morning with plaster dust in their teeth and eyes. From there, they moved to a large two-story home in Crystal Springs that they built. The house was designed for ultimate gatherings, as Connie really enjoyed hosting friends and family, especially during the summer, to attend pool parties. When they sold the house, they bought a truck and a fifth wheel and traveled out west for nine months. Upon returning after their grand trip, they built a large ranch designed for entertainment on a small lake, Cory Lake, in Hudsonville. There, Connie loved throwing large parties during the holidays and a special July 4th party to watch fireworks around the lake, put on by several of the other lake associations.

One of Connie's gifts to others was her cooking and baking, which was always infused with her love. She treasured gathering her loved ones for get-togethers centered on excellent food, including her legendary potato salad and her mother's pineapple cake. Family Christmas cookie-baking and Easter egg-decorating gatherings were enjoyed by all, as were her meals of potato pancakes, Missouri pot roast, ribs and sauerkraut, and cheesy potatoes. She owned every spice imaginable, and her favorite foods were anything hot and spicy. She liked Polish, Greek, and especially Mexican food. Her favorite Polish food was kugel, and her favorite Mexican food was enchiladas. When she went out to eat, she liked getting jalapeno cheeseburgers at Freddy's, or a meal at Little Mexico, when it was still open, Luna downtown, or Salvatore's on the west side. She loved indulging in her favorite Polish food during Pulaski Days.

Before retiring, Connie and Al took the kids on small trips, and one epic trip was to Disneyland, where their granddaughters used the bottled water Al bought them for a spectacular water fight. Connie took her granddaughters on a trip every summer. They went to Wisconsin Dells and took the girls to Ludington, Traverse City, Mackinac Island, and several other places. They also toured the Western United States in a 36-foot triple slide-out fifth wheel. Some of Connie's favorite adventures included Sequoia National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, the Clinton Presidential Museum, Yellowstone, Zion, Palm Springs, and taking the Tram up to the Jacinto Mountains, where there is snow most of the year. They also stayed in Las Vegas for about a week and enjoyed stays in San Francisco, San Jose, and the Living Deserts in both Palm Springs and Carlsbad, New Mexico.

Connie enjoyed exploring botanical gardens, too. She especially enjoyed Mendocino Coastal Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg, California. Her favorite state by far, because of its diverse sites and landscapes, was California. On their several trips to the Hawaiian Islands, Connie and Al visited Kauai, Connie's favorite island, where they hiked the Waimea Canyon State Park. During other trips, they stayed on Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island of Hawaii, where they enjoyed the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, which was once the local trash dump, and Volcano National Park.

International trips were numerous and included Italy, Germany, Austria, England, Ireland, Scotland, and France. Her favorite cities were Rome, Venice, Florence, Paris, Strasbourg, and Monté Carlo, where Connie learned to love gelato in Capri. Connie also loved Vienna and Salzburg, as well as Edinburgh and Inverness. They enjoyed Munich for the Oktoberfest, London and Bath, England, and Dublin and Waterford, Ireland. One of Connie and Al's romantic dinners took place in an outdoor café in Venice. Another romantic dinner took place at an outside café overlooking the harbor in Monté Carlo. Connie's professional-grade photos of her adventures often reflected her love for the flowers, animals, and landscapes she captured.

Naturally creative and very smart, Connie had a gift for making people feel welcome. She played keyboard and took a Christmas craft class, where she learned to paint a beautiful Christmas tree on a shirt. Afterward, she did many different crafts, was a good photographer, and a great decorator. She had many of the pictures on the walls. She was a pro at Jeopardy and trivia. Connie's love of books continued through her life. She read thousands of them, even taking on Leo Tolstoy's legendary War and Peace and James A. Michener's enormous Hawaii twice!

Never one to shy away from an opportunity to lend a hand to others, Connie donated her time and talents to many charities, especially food banks and health organizations, like Meals on Wheels, Kids Food Basket, Gilda's Club, and GR Vets Home. She was also involved at her church, Holy Redeemer in Jenison, where she volunteered at the food bank to deliver holiday meals and loved to sing in the holiday concerts.

Without a doubt, Connie's family was her heart's delight. She cherished her five boys and was thrilled to welcome her daughter, Sandy, back into her life after having to give her up for adoption when she was young. Sandy understood that her adoption was a selfless act on Connie's part and felt lucky enough to meet Connie in 2010. Mother and daughter had an immediate connection, as if they had never missed a beat. As a grandmother and aunt, Connie showered the children in her life with love, affection, and signature humor. Her stories kept them mesmerized, her delicious popcorn gave them warmth on sleepovers, her faith inspired their confidence, and her sense of adventure led them to many of their own. For those who allowed her to, Connie's love and compassion filled many voids, especially those who had lost their mothers. Her many canine companions —Ozzy, Rowdy, Max, Dixie Belle, Charlie, and Logan —enriched her life in countless ways, eagerly reflecting her selfless love, loyalty, affection, resilience, and hope.

A devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend, Connie's legacy will long live in the lives of those she so dearly loved. In each moment we compassionately support someone who is struggling, share a home-cooked meal or belly laugh, cheer on our loved ones' endeavors, wear our bling and bright clothes, ride in a convertible, read a book, sing or dance to our favorite songs, host a gathering, or love on a dog, or travel with our beloved, we keep Connie's beautiful spirit alive and radiating out to a world that continues to need her light and love.

Constance "Connie" Kay Harig, age 79, passed away on October 08, 2025, at her home surrounded by her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Norbert (Dorthea) English; stepson, Jason Harig; brother, John English; sister, Patricia English; and sister-in-law, Kathy Harig. Connie is survived by her husband of 44 years, Allan; children, Alexander (Genevieve) Kulhawik III, Mark (Margaret Dunlap) Harig, Clay (Heather) Harig, Sandy (Ransom) Vigil, and Martin (Jackie) Harig; grandchildren, Megan (Don) Kuehn, Katrina (Shawn) Dreyer, Kirstin (Matt Birkle) Kulhawik, Winter Vigil, Sahara Vigil, Sydney Harig and Karlie Harig; and great-grandchildren, Addison, Astrid, Bodhi, Shawn and Henry. Also surviving are her sister, JoAnn English; sister-in-law, Linda Novakowski, and many nieces and nephews. A visitation where food, drinks, and stories will be shared will take place from 5-8 PM on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Alt and Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW. Contributions in her memory may be made to Gildas Club GR. Celebrate Connie's life online by sharing your favorite stories and pictures on her dedicated memory page at Heritagelifestory.com.