Constance King Olson

Connie took her final bow on November 15, 2024, at the age of 92-though not before making sure everyone knew who was in charge, right up to the moment she crossed over to be with her Lord.

Born during the Great Depression, and surviving the 'blackouts' of WW2, Connie Doner was armed with midwestern grit and an iron will. In 1955 Connie packed her suitcase and left Wisconsin with her husband, Lawrence King. The couple settled in San Diego where Lawrence had been stationed in the Navy during the Korean War. Connie soon found her calling in Kindergarten classrooms, where she sparked curiosity, imagination, and gave all her students the tools to learn and thrive.

Standing at just under 5 feet tall, she was affectionately known as "Mighty Mouse." A career educator, Connie began her teaching career at Hamilton Elementary. She taught 2nd and 3rd grade at both Hamilton and Horton elementary schools, later becoming a Project Resource Teacher and eventually Vice Principal at Knox Elementary-where even the walls stood a little straighter in her presence. Whether mentoring the next generation or advocating for her students, Connie fulfilled her calling with grace, wisdom, and fierce dedication. After 38 years of molding minds, she retired in 1993, though the values and love of learning she instilled continued to shape lives for at least three generations thereafter.

Her hobbies were as diverse as her wardrobe of cardigans. She was an amateur photographer, an avid birdwatcher, and an expert knitter of sweaters three sizes too big. Her rose garden was rivaled only by the Queen of England's, and don't get us started on her baking. Her caramel-pecan cinnamon rolls were so good they were once mistaken for divine intervention. Christmas morning was her personal Olympics, and she never failed to take home gold. Her cure for every ailment was Vicks, 7-Up and homemade tapioca pudding. But don't ask about her strawberry-rhubarb pie.

Connie was also the "hostess with the mostest"-throwing gourmet dinner parties and whipping up five-course meals, all while pouring a glass of wine and correcting your grammar.

She loved her Grasshoppers (the cocktail, not the insect) and enjoyed one beer a day - after all, she was from Wisconsin. She loved a good party and could outlast guests half her age. She was sharp, stubborn, and hilariously opinionated right to the end. And while she had a spine of steel, she had a heart of pure, ooey-gooey cinnamon-roll goodness.

After Lawrence passed away in 1973, Connie married Carl Olson in 1974, enjoying 21 joyful years before Carl's passing in 1995.

In her later years, Connie moved to Minnesota with her daughter, where she became the benevolent protector of her grandchildren whenever they misbehaved. She doled out wisdom, hugs, cars and college funds in equal measure and was the cornerstone of their triumphs, trials, and treasured memories. She was very generous up until the end and gave her family significantly better lives in ways that will always be remembered.

Connie is survived by her daughter Laurie Tebbe (nee King); and her grandchildren, Brett Tebbe, Ashton Dicken (Scott) and Craig Tebbe. She is also survived by her older sister Shirley Coleman (Wayne), three nieces and five nephews. All of whom were no doubt held to her famously high standards.

A celebration of Connie's remarkable life will be held Friday, September 12, 2025 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma, Columbarium, 2nd Row (Site 64) at 1:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests doing something Connie would have loved: tell a child to sit up straight, or read them a good story, host a fancy dinner, enjoy a beer with someone who makes you laugh, or plant a rose bush. And for heaven's sake-don't slouch.