Constance Elaine (Connie) Fernandes

September 13, 1931 - June 18, 2018 Resident of Campbell

Connie may have traveled around the world, but in reality she never strayed far from home. She was proud of her hometown Campbell heritage, and she embraced the good life until the end. She died suddenly on June 18, 2018 at the young age of 86.

Connie was born Constance Elaine George at the old County Hospital in San Jose. Her parents, Oral and Mary George didn’t have to travel far to bring her home, as their house in Campbell was nestled amongst the many orchards that dotted the landscape. Connie received a valuable education in these early days of the Great Depression, while her family survived on the harvesting of cherries, apricots and prunes that drove the valley’s economy during this period.

To help the finances, her grandfather Jefferson George would play his fiddle at some of the more spirited houserent parties they held at their modest home in Campbell. Connie never forgot her roots during these days, and ironically, the authentic Country music her grandpa introduced her to would stay with her always, allowing her to embrace all genres of music of the world.

Connie remained faithful to her Campbell High School alumni, after graduating at the top of her ‘class of ‘49’, while attending one year at San Jose State.

By 1950 Connie was married to her first husband Frank, and she began her first leg of the travel bug that followed her the rest of her life. The newlyweds drove a ‘50 Mercury sedan down to Lompoc, through Arizona and New Mexico while eventually ending up in Colorado Springs.

Upon returning to the Bay Area, Connie settled into the housewife and motherhood role, while raising her three young children. The era of the ‘50s became a period of awakening for many women and she asserted her womanhood in 1962 by joining the feminine workforce in the Valley at Sears Roebuck on Race Street in San Jose.

Moving up to a more respected and desirable high-tech position, Connie graduated to an executive secretary position with the Campbell-Moreland School District offices for nearly 10 years. Other changes allowed her to join the Bank of the West, where she worked for 20 years before retiring in 1993. At this time Connie met the love of her life, Thomas Fernandes. All of her love and knowledge of musical genres paid off handsomely, as they traveled the world in style. For years they accompanied the 10th Avenue Jazz Band, and the South Bay Jazz Society on trips to Europe, China and Russia. Connie and Tom began their travels with trips to Mexico, the Caribbean and Greek Isles, Turkey and Alaska.

Always returning home to their house on the outskirts of Campbell, the duo branched out their club and membership affiliations to the San Jose Eagles, the Los Gatos and San Jose Elks, the Sunnyvale Moose Lodge, the American Legion 99 and the Italian American Heritage Foundation. Their gold memberships to the Campbell Heritage Theater and Campbell Ainsley House rounded out their diverse interests and tastes. These organizations were a surprisingly good fit for the two, as the food and drinks that accompanied the music led to their favorite pastime of all: Dancing! Connie and Tom would always be at the center of the action on the dance floor, while her fast feet and Tom’s strong hands always captured the crowd’s attention. They continued traveling the world until 2012, when Tom began slowing down, but they still attended the dances and events that they both loved so much.

Connie is survived by her devoted sons Samuel and Thomas Loproto, her loving daughter Leslie Berger and grandson Jay Berger. She is also survived by her sister Jeanine Sena, and a multitude of nieces, nephews, caring family members and friends.

A chapel service will be held on Saturday, July 14, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. at Los Gatos Memorial Park, 2255 Los GatosAlmaden Road, Los Gatos, CA 95124. Reception follows at the San Jose Eagles, 1036 Lincoln Ave., San Jose, 95125.