By Sydney, Receptionist
“I had just graduated school and I met Connie on my first day on practicum. I got lost that day searching for the office, so I decided to call the front desk to make sure I was in the right area. I was immediately greeted by the most loving, friendly and welcoming voice, Connie’s…and that’s where our relationship began…
I was then granted the opportunity to work alongside her, as Theresa and Romeo made the decision in hiring me as the Saturday receptionist for the office, and I was so excited for this next chapter in my life!
Every time Connie and I began our day together, it usually consisted of an abundance of laughter from the stories we had to share with each other. We always had our coffee cups full and a few extra goodies tucked away like peanut m&m’s and cookies for our stressful moments dealing with insurance companies.
Whenever we worked together Connie would always give me the best advice and would proceed to give me her “two cents” (even when I didn’t even ask for it). She always had a smile on her face and a cheery attitude that illuminated the office.
Whenever someone was upset or having a bad day she would make it her goal and top priority to make their morning just a little bit better with her cheesy jokes, her support, her love and her kindness. That was one thing I admired about Connie. She would always put other people first before herself, and she would do it will such grace. It was quite inspiring. With her compassionate, tender, and warm heart, she definitely made the office a safe and open place for everyone. She always talked so highly of her patients, and would greet each and everyone one of them with a “hello” as soon as they entered the room. She never hesitated to spark up a conversation with each patient and would then proceed to give them her “two cents” (even when they didn’t even ask for it). She would make sure that each person that left the office felt like they had just left a family members home. That’s how good she was at making you feel welcome.
Even though Connie talked so highly of her patients, I will have to say she talked even more highly of her family. Every shift we had together she would fill me in with various stories and memories that she had with Julianna, Alex and Augusto. She’d always tell me how proud she was of Alex, how beautiful Julianna was, and how much she adored vacations with her husband and kids. She loved you guys very very much. Hearing this and seeing what her family has had to go through has been very hard. It just goes to show how precious and valuable life really is and how we should appreciate and love one another as much as we can. I feel like this is something Connie would want all of us to do.
Connie was an amazing person, who wanted the best for everyone. I know she always wanted the best for me and she’d tell me countless times over and over again how I was like a second daughter to her. I’m definitely going to miss her very much. I know we’re all going to miss her smile, her cheesy jokes, her loud laugh and her charismatic demeanor that we all adored so much.
Thank you Connie, for sitting alongside me for all of those years. Thank you for being my teacher, my mentor and especially my friend.
I know you and I will be dancing on a beach together some day.”
By Theresa, Office Manager
“Connie joined our office at an unusual and challenging time. It was in May 2012 when we had just moved to our current location and needed to implement new plans for the office. Before Connie, we had only one receptionist who, including her services with the previous dentist, was the only receptionist our existing patients dealt with, many of them for the past 20 years.
Then we hired Connie. But after a few days, our long time receptionist resigned and Connie didn’t have the luxury of time to learn and train from her. I was neither a big help as I had never worked at our front desk before. At that time, Romeo and I were very concerned because we wanted to make changes that impacted our patients. Connie was just new then and it would be a tough sale for her to get our patients to buy in. But it had to be done, or we risked disrupting our ability to meet our financial obligations.
What happened next was a story of success that depicted Connie’s contribution. She was exemplary in connecting with patients that it was so easy for her to make them feel at ease. As I reflected back, I think we were able to carry out that transition because Connie was there. She had what it took for that difficult task to succeed and she continued to build her relationships with her patients, that many were saddened by her sudden disappearance. Many sent her thoughtful get well wishes and prayers, and some even visited her at the hospice.
Connie also took efforts to organize our company’s social events. She put excitements to them with her creative ideas. One of the things that stood out that Romeo really liked so much was a personalized T-shirt that the staff gave as Christmas gift. It had words printed on it that we all get to hear from him especially when we mess up. And putting all these words and phrases together was Connie’s idea and each of us laughed at how true those words were. She indeed brought fun to the work place that fueled staff engagement and teamwork.
Connie, you were a true gift to us. You generously shared your talents and skills and more importantly, you touched our hearts with your own unique ways. You were genuine and caring, a great team player and a friend. Thank you, Connie. You will be sorely missed! RM says that it’s no longer the same without you. That the office is no longer noisy and he misses that. But then he said that he’s learned to accept it. In fact, he warned “the One in charge” to where you’re headed next, with his words: “Heaven, get ready!”
October 11, 1964 – March 8, 2018