Constance F. Panchal, born January 24, 1931 in Hartford, CT, passed peacefully on Monday, July 2, 2018 in Mission Viejo, CA from complications due to old age.Constance was lovingly known as Connie to her friends, Tootsie to her siblings, Mom to her children and Grandma (aka "G-ma") to her grandkids.Born to Biagio and Florence Uricchio, she has three siblings:Antoniette Ray (passed), Josephine Ferry (passed), and Lidia Brown.She was happily married to Jay Panchal for 27 years until he passed in 1983.They had two children, Bakul and Dhanu.

Connie grew up in the Italian section of Hartford where she also graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1954.Jay and Connie met in Hartford, where Jay rented a room in the house next door.Connie would often say "she married the boy next door, who happened to be from India."They traveled the world as a young couple, including a voyage on the Queen Mary, and spent nine months living in India.

Connie resided in Santa Ana and North Tustin, CA for over five decades, after moving to California with Jay in 1961.She was a social worker for the County of Orange for over 30 years, until retirement.At the age of 80 she became a cancer survivor, adding seven years to her life.She is survived by her sons Buck and Dhanu, daughters-in-law Andria and Christine, and grandchildren Rachel, Christy, Nicholas, and Kiran.

Connie's greatest pleasure in life was her years with Jay, followed by her children and her grandchildren, and spending time with her extended Italian and Indian families – sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, second cousins, third cousins, etc.She enjoyed attending holidays, birthdays, graduations, weddings and performances.She also liked to hit the casinos now and then with her husband and her sisters.Reading books was her favorite hobby, particularly biographies.

Jay and Connie loved camping from the time their sons were young and were members of a camping club for many years.When their retirement plans for full-time RV living changed with Jay's passing, Connie bravely rose to the necessity of going it alone and took pride in handling her affairs well.She stayed in their Tustin home until a few weeks before her death, which served as a stopover for family members needing a place to stay, and as a hub for family gatherings.She enjoyed being the host, but never wanted to be the center of attention.

Connie was known for her kindness and willingness to lend an ear to anyone who needed to chat.She showed her love by putting your needs ahead of her own.She never wanted to be a "bother" to anyone.She always put family first.

Memorial services will be held Wednesday, July 18, 2018, 11:00 a.m. at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, followed by a reception.She will be interned at El Toro Memorial Park.

Please join us in remembering Connie. Through this site, we invite you to share your thoughts and fond memories with our family.