Constance Duszkiewicz Murray

Constance Paulina Duszkiewicz Murray passed after a long period of declining health, at her beloved home in Keene in the early hours of December 5, 2020. She had turned 93 five days earlier on Monday, November 30. Born in 1927 in Proctor, Vermont to a mother she adored, Leocadia Pifko Duszkiewicz, and her father Branislaw Alexandr Duszkiewicz, Connie was raised in the Polish enclave of West Rutland, Vermont.

Connie lived with her family on Marble Street and walked to St. Stanislaus Elementary School. At West Rutland High School (Class of 1945), she was an active member of several clubs, including serving as president of the DAR; she was very proud of being named the high school’s “DAR Girl” by her classmates and faculty.

After graduation from Becker College in Worcester, Mass. in 1947 with an A.S. in Healthcare, Connie reunited with high school and college friends to work in Keene at Eliot Community Hospital. She was proud to work for many years for radiologist Dr. Albert C. Johnston, Sr. (the subject of W.L. White’s 1947 book, Lost Boundaries, and later a 1949 film by Louis de Rochemont starring Mel Ferrer).

While strolling down Keene’s Main Street with her friends, Connie met Fred (with his friends). It all worked out as Connie and Frederick R. Murray, Jr. were married on December 30, 1950. They remained happily married and in love until Fred’s death in December of 1996.

Connie loved her work at Eliot Community Hospital. While taking time off to tend to her home and family, Connie volunteered for many organizations and church-related groups. In the mid-sixties, Connie returned to work and spent several happy years employed by the Keene Senior Citizens Center. She then returned to work in the medical field, in the Radiology Department at Cheshire Hospital. She made many long-lasting and cherished friends during her years at the Hospital.

In retirement, Connie continued to have an active life. She and Fred travelled and enjoyed vistas and the ocean in many states. They tended to their home and gardens. They shared many wonderful times. After her grandson Jackson was born, Connie joyfully added him to her life!

An avid and passionate gardener, Connie joined the Old Homestead Garden Club and participated in all of the Club’s activities; she and Lorna partnered up to tend to the entrance of Keene’s Ashuelot River Park for many seasons.

Until her final years, Connie gardened; read the Keene Sentinel (every day), biographies, cookbooks, & gardening books; practiced yoga; cooked wonderful dishes; baked THE BEST pies; planned her gardens; watched the Patriots & Celtics; watched her grandson grow and attended his various games and skiing competitions; and thought about gardening.

Connie loved and appreciated nature, and the beauty of her favorite places: her home and her gardens, her Woodland Avenue neighborhood (for 65 years!), the City of Keene, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the coast of Maine. She particularly enjoyed sunsets from her breezeway and the four seasons of New England.

Saddened and distressed by the policies and actions of the current White House administration, Connie was excited to cast her vote for Biden, and to witness his victory.

Connie is survived by her daughter, Susan M. Murray, son-in-law Jim Doremus, grandson Jackson Murray Doremus, and Lulu the Labradoodle of Henniker NH; her older sister Virginia D. Zullo of Colorado; her younger sister Pauline D. Kaplan of Arizona; several nieces and nephews; and her Woodland Avenue family.

The family would like to thank several longtime friends who were so wonderful and attentive to Connie over the years: Liz, Mary Alyce, Tina, David, George, Diane, and niece Annie.

Also, thank you to Mary and the staff at The Castle Center, and Thomas and the staff of Hospice at HCS.

A funeral Mass will be held at St. Bernard Church, 185 Main St, Keene at noon on Friday, December 18, 2020. Due to Covid, a ceremony of Interment will be held in May, followed by a celebratory reception.