Constance Appel

Constance Appel

New London, NH - Connie Appel, age 78, died at New London hospital on Friday, February 27 in a community she loved and had been a part of for more than 50 years. This ended a long and difficult journey through Parkinson's Disease and its many hardships.

The house on Stoney Brook Road was the first place in her life that Connie lived more than briefly. As a child, she traveled extensively with her family, living on military bases throughout the US and the world.

College years that began at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ended at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. While riding a train as a student there she was scouted by a modeling agency and completed her studies while also appearing in ad campaigns for products ranging from coffee to cars. In 1966, her stint as a celebrity peaked when she was cast in the TV drama Ohanahan. The show was a national sensation, so popular that water usage rates across the country dropped measurably each day when the program aired.

Living in Tokyo, Connie was also spotted by a young Army officer. Cameron Appel got a friend to set him up on a blind date with the Colonel's daughter. It was a risky prospect-especially when the Colonel was a Marine. But Cameron was smitten. By the end of their first date, which included a long drive to the coast in a borrowed convertible, Connie was too. They were engaged within the week and married a month later.

The honeymoon was short-lived. In 1967, Cameron went to Vietnam where he served with distinction as a Ranger with the Big Red One. Connie moved into a guest cottage at her parents' home in Japan and sent letters and tapes to her new husband. They corresponded about the day-to-day realities of combat, and of the life and home they hoped to build together after the war. In 1968, Cameron said in a taped letter, "This separation is most difficult-and that's really an understatement. I guess I know now more than ever that I don't think we're cut out to be separated from each other."

After the war, Cameron's Army career and graduate engineering studies meant time in Hawaii, New Jersey, Virginia, and finally New Hampshire in 1975 where they planned to settle. Cameron worked at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab in Hanover and Connie started a small business selling homemade pies.

Again, their happiness was cut devastatingly short. Cameron was diagnosed with Agent Orange-related cancer. It progressed quickly and he died in 1978, just weeks after his 35th birthday.

Connie was left to find a new path forward for herself and her young children, aged 3 and 7. That path took her to Proctor Academy, where she became head of the history department while earning her graduate degree at Dartmouth. She loved teaching and formed many deep friendships with her colleagues. In 1995, an unexpected conversation and bit of bold thinking brought her back into the heart of New London when she and longtime friend, Peggy Holliday, opened Morgan Hill Bookstore.

After many happy years selling books and being part of the Main Street business community, they sold the store in 2012. Connie looked forward to a retirement filled with gardening, travel in England, volunteering, and her grandchildren.

Parkinson's Disease was a final and most difficult blow. Though it was often hard for her to stay positive and connected, she found opportunities to laugh and share chocolate with her kind caregivers at Sunapee Cove. She adored her grandchildren, and every day appreciated her beautiful view of the lake. At the end, her relief and gratitude were profound at being able to pass her final weeks at New London Hospital, back in the center of the community that was her home.

Connie was predeceased by her parents, Harold and Jean, by her sister, Susan, and by her beloved husband. She is survived by her son, Kevin, daughter, Lauren, and grandchildren Ian and Abby.

A memorial service will be held at St. Andrews Church on March 28th at 10:30. In lieu of flowers, donations welcome to the Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice or to New London Hospital.