Mary Constance "Connie" Barrington

1951 - 2018

Mary Constance "Connie" Barrington, of El Centro died at her home January 22, 2018. Connie was originally from Glenview, IL a suburb of Chicago, where she was born to Richard W. Mortell and Helen (Byrne) Mortell on February 8, 1951. While in Chicago, Connie obtained her bachelor's degree from Mundelein College and attended two years of law school. In 1982, she met and married her husband, Tom Barrington, moving to Los Angeles to join him. Their daughter, Kathleen, was born in 1984. They lived in Los Angeles until 1988, when they moved to El Centro. Upon moving to the valley, Connie pursued teaching as a career, receiving an award for Student Teacher of the Year from San Diego State University. She went on to teach at Westmorland Elementary and Brawley Union High School. Her extensive volunteer work in literacy inspired her to pursue her Masters of Library Science from the University of Arizona. She worked at Brawley Public Library and Camrena Memorial Library, before becoming the Head Librarian for the Imperial County Library. During her tenure as County Librarian, she received numerous awards for her work, including the Celebrate Literacy Award awarded by the International Reading Association. After her retirement in 2016, her passion for reading led her to continue her work as a volunteer. Connie is survived by her husband of 35 years, Tom; her daughter, Kathleen Griffith (Sam); her brother, Richard Mortell (Cecelia); her brother, Paul Mortell (Heather); her brother-in-law, Elmer Hall; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Richard an Helen Mortell; her younger brother, Mark Mortell; and her sister-in-law, Barbara Hall. She will be deeply missed by her friends, family, and all who knew her. Funeral services will be held at St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Imperial, CA on February 10, 2018 at 10 a.m., with Father David Serrano presiding. Interment will be private.