Constance Evelyn Ahara

Constance Evelyn Ahara, of Lexington, MA, died at the age of 89 on Sunday August 31, 2025, from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Connie was born on May 28, 1936 in Rumford, ME and lived with her family there until she graduated from Stephens High School in 1954. She attended Radcliffe College, where in 1958 she earned a BA, cum laude, in mathematics. She then began her career at Sylvania Electronics Systems, later GTE, then General Dynamics, returning to Harvard to complete an MS in applied mathematics in 1965. During Connie's extensive software engineering and management career she worked on large projects such as the Minuteman and MX missile systems and the Navy's Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) project. Connie retired from General Dynamics in 1994. Upon her retirement, Connie did consulting and spent time traveling both on her own and with friends and family.

Throughout her life Connie was active playing golf, including with her nephews, and with friends after work and on weekends. She was an excellent softball player and pitched for her high school and college softball teams.

Connie's family was particularly important to her and she made every effort to spend time with all of them, for weddings, graduations, performances and just to "play with the kids". She was an incredibly involved aunt to her two sisters' children, with weekly visits to her sister Ruth's house in Lexington for Sunday dinners and lengthy walks, and frequent visits to her parents' and sister Marjory's homes in Rumford and Dixfield, Maine. Later, as Marjy moved, Connie helped her explore the new frontiers with enthusiasm. Connie, together with her sister Ruth, took excellent care of her mother after her father passed, moving her to an apartment in Lexington and spending nearly every evening with her.

Connie was devoted to her church family as well, a member of Hancock United Church of Christ for more than 50 years. She served in a number of roles there. She was a lifelong Bible student, sharing that passion with her father and sisters.

The relationships Connie formed in her childhood rural Maine mill town guided her to Youville Place in Lexington, MA where she moved in mid-2019. She developed strong friendships there, sharing her humor, her ability to connect and listen, with that twinkle in her eye.

Connie was predeceased by her mother and father, Grace M. and E. Victor Ahara, her sister Ruth A. Kingston, and her long-term colleague and best friend Janice Rossbach. She is survived by her sister Marjory Kraske of Hartford, ME, seven nieces and nephews (Robert E. Kingston (Rhonda Feinbaum), Susan E. Kingston (Tom Ellis), William V. Kraske (Cindy), Margaret K. Tivey (Maurice), Patricia J. Kraske French (Larry), Katherine A. Kingston, and Charles R. Kraske (Laura)), 17 grandnephews and grandnieces, and six great-grandnephews and great-grandnieces.

The family would like to thank Connie's many caregivers and friends at Youville Place and in The Courtyard at Youville Place, where she moved in late 2022, her many private caregivers over the last 1.5 years of her life, and the Beth Israel Lahey Health Hospice staff.

A memorial service will be held at a later date at Hancock United Church of Christ in Lexington. In lieu of flowers, donations in Connie's memory may be made to Hancock United Church of Christ https://hancockchurch.org/giving/. A private burial was held at Westview Cemetery in Lexington.