Connie Joan Adams

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Connie Joan Adams, 76, on Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 10:35 PM while in the Multicare Capital Medical Center ICU after a long fight with multiple pulmonary issues. Connie left this earth with her loving husband and three daughters by her bedside.

Connie was born in Wahoo, NE on November 20, 1948. Her parents, Harold Waldemar Manstedt and Elva Pearl Brown, were long time residents of Wahoo who owned a successful contractor business inherited from Harold’s Uncle Carl Johnson, who interestingly enough was a Titanic survivor. Connie was the middle of three children in the Manstedt family, her older sister, Launa Rae and younger brother, Steven Harold who thrived together in Wahoo. All three children attended Wahoo High School where Connie was very popular, participated in many extracurricular activities and was elected Homecoming Queen in 1967. All three Manstedt children went on to attend the University of Nebraska where Connie made lifetime friends and majored in Physical Education.

After graduation, Connie left Nebraska and moved to Sacramento, CA where she became a Physical Education teacher at a junior high school. This is where she met the love of her life, Terry Adams, who was attending flight training at Mather Air Force Base. Terry and his Air Force buddies formed a rugby team and stopped by Connie’s school to ask if they could use the school practice fields. She was accommodating and became one of their best fans traveling to many rugby matches. After Terry graduated flight school, he was deployed to Thailand during the Vietnam War where he kept in constant contact with Connie. Upon his return, she was the first one to meet him while picking him up after he landed. From that point on, they fell madly in love.

On October 19, 1974, Terry and Connie wed at The Heart of Reno Chapel in Reno, NV. Connie became close with Terry’s sister, Vicki Lynn Adams, and chose her to be her maid of honor, and Terry had his flight leader, Gene O’Baker, be his best man. After their wedding, they were stationed at many different Air Force bases during Terry’s 20-year Air Force career, including Arizona, Florida, Virginia, Alaska and Utah. Though Terry was gone a lot, Connie had the joy of staying at home to raise a wonderful family. Their first born was Carrie Anne born in 1976 who tragically developed a brain tumor and passed away at the young age of eight. By that time Connie had already delivered two more beautiful, daughters, Corey Lynn, and Lacey. One year after Carrie’s death, Patricia Leigh was born and the couple moved to Layton, Utah where Terry was stationed at Hill Air Force Base. While in Utah, Terry left on his second combat tour to Desert Storm, and while deployed, Connie was instrumental in helping the squadron wives and even consoling those wives who had lost their husbands in combat. Connie was always there for Terry and supported him in his Air Force career in the most tenacious and patriotic way imaginable. After Terry returned from the war, he retired and began flying for Delta Air Lines and Connie became a highly successful Real Estate Agent which she enjoyed immensely. In 2008, they made their final move to Olympia, WA to retire and be near Terry’s parents where they built a home on his parent’s property. Connie again taught school as a substitute teacher at numerous schools in the area, even taking on a semi-permanent Physical Education position for a year.

Sadly, over the years, Connie suffered through three cancers, including Cervical, Breast and Multiple Myeloma and survived all three due to various treatments of chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries, a stem cell transplant and many, many medications. All of which took a toll on her heart and lungs which was a significant factor in her death.

Connie is survived by her husband, Terry Roger Adams, and her three daughters and their families: Corey Lynn McLean and her children: Madeline Marie (21), Rowen Irene (18) and Addison Anne (16); Lacey Cutler and husband, Andrew Cutler, and their daughter, Carrie Anne (7) and son Jack Patch (6); Patricia Irwin and husband, Warren Irwin and their son, Christian Thomas (5) and daughter, Charlotte Rose (2).

Connie (known as CiCi) was the most doting and compassionate grandmother that loved her seven grandchildren with all of her heart.

She is preceded in death by her daughter, Carrie Anne Adams; her parents: Harold & Elva Manstedt; her in-laws, Theodore & Vivian Adams; sister-in-law, Vicki Adams; and her son-in-law, Michael James McLean.

Connie will be laid to rest at Mills & Mills Funeral Home in Tumwater, WA on Wednesday, May 7 at 1 pm.