Constance "Connie" S. Fowler

Constance (Connie) S. Fowler, born in Bird City, Kansas in 1938, died at the age of 81 of metastatic cancer on December 25, 2019, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, surrounded by her family.  Connie was the last surviving member of her immediate family and was preceded in death by her mother and father, Esther and Elmer John Spomer, as well as her sister, Patricia, and brother, Craig.  She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Curtis W. Fowler, their five children, Erin (Del), Ward (Mary Jean), Lincoln (Lilith), Abigail and Geneva, and nine grandchildren, Spencer, Norah, Henry, Leo, Willa, Louisa, Isabella, Wiley, and Miles.  

Connie’s life was distinguished by a deep love of learning and strong curiosity.  After learning to read, she was rarely without a book in hand. She had a broad range of interests and actively asked and sought answers to questions about people, places, and things throughout her life.  She was often teased by her family for wearing out a set of encyclopedias and for her remarkable vocabulary, which allowed her to complete nearly every New York Times crossword puzzle she attempted.  Formal educational attainments included a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Kansas and a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.  She worked, prior to having a family, as a speech pathologist, for the Kansas City school system.  Following her Master’s Degree, she worked for St. Luke’s Hospital.  Other pursuits included a number of years on the Children’s Service Society Board, achieving Gold Level donor status with the Red Cross for well over 100 blood donations, and many years of joyful service at Kingo Lutheran Church, singing in the choir and sewing with the Kingo Quilters.  She was an excellent cook and baker and took great pleasure in feeding friends and family.  She and her husband, Curt, visited and hiked in more than thirty National Parks during their marriage. 

Above all else, Connie most valued her roles as wife, mother, grandmother and friend.  She brought love, authenticity, humor and a sense of fun into all of her relationships.  Connie was a natural caregiver, bringing back to life a pet bird deposited by one of her sons, adopting a kitten found by another son at a Brewers game, and walking miles and miles with their many dogs over the years. She nurtured a number of lifelong friendships and was always open to cultivating new ones. She was genuinely interested in others, an excellent listener, a generous provider of wisdom, love, and constant support.  She will be sorely missed by her family and many friends.

A visitation will be held on January 10th at Feerick Funeral Home (2025 E. Capitol Dr. in Shorewood) from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  There will be a memorial service the following day, January 11th, at Kingo Lutheran Church (1225 E. Olive in Shorewood) at 11:00 a.m., reception to follow. Donations in Connie’s name may be made to Planned Parenthood Milwaukee (302 N. Jackson St., Milwaukee, WI 53202), Kingo Quilters (1225 E. Olive St., Shorewood, WI 53211), Scholarship Fund at Eastcastle Place (2505 E. Bradford Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53211), and Shorewood SEED Foundation (P.O. Box 71235, Shorewood, WI 53211).