Constance Opal

With a mixture of sadness and joy, we announce that Connie Opal has joined Christ in Heaven! Born in Ann Arbor to Stephen N. and Thelma “Pat” Kurtis in 1934, Connie saw much change in her nearly 92 years. From horse drawn carts delivering milk door to door in Ann Arbor to the new Tesla flying car video, she saw it all!

Married in 1953 at age 19, Connie had 5 children, three sons and two daughters. She and her husband Robert E. “Bob” Opal were committed to a lifetime of service. First with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and later with the St. Vincent DePaul society of Ann Arbor, and the R.E.A.C.T. team radio emergency preparedness group. During her working years, she raised her kids and ran the family home-based business, Kurtis Exterminating, only retiring when the company was sold in 2001. She was the first woman to be the president of the Michigan Pest Control Association, and she was instrumental in changing state certification requirements so that classroom training was accepted in Michigan. The entire industry was improved by her effort! Then during retirement they joined the National Campers and Hikers association, and Connie became the President of the Huron Hooters chapter in Washtenaw County.

An avid camper, she and Dad traveled all over the country pulling a camper, going down to visit family in Florida, along the east coast, and into Louisiana. Mom even visited Alaska to spend time with oldest daughter Cynthia. Her attitude was always “Let's go, I’ll drive!”. She hated being a passenger, and was always up for a day trip. Mom said that her dream job would be to drive people’s cars all over the country for them. She camped by herself well into her 80’s, making wonderful friends at the campground who stayed in contact with her for years. After Dad passed, she found a new camping family at the Holiday campground in Jackson, MI. Her last season of camping was in 2018, when it became too hard for her to climb the steps into the camper, but we still went and visited with her friends out there.

Connie was “Mom” to so many people! She adopted daughters and sons everywhere she went. They were attracted to her kindness, her willingness to listen without judgement and love them, and her spicy, funny, silliness, cracking a joke or poking some mischievous sweet fun. Since May of this year, she resided at Wellbridge of Pinkney nursing home, and was a favorite of the staff for her funny and sweet humor and easy nature. Mom was rarely a complainer, greeting every person who helped her with gratitude and love.

A prayer warrior, if anyone came to her with a concern, she would pray for them. Oftentimes, and to the dismay of some, mom would pray immediately, with them right there. You didn’t ask Mom to pray if you didn’t mean it, because she did. From childhood, she taught her kids to pray when we heard sirens. We prayed for the victims and for the responders. One of my sweetest memories is the prayer list in Mom’s beautiful handwriting on the bathroom mirror above the sink! If she said she would pray for you, she meant it!

Mom was greeted in heaven by her husband Bob, daughter Cynthia (Doug) Morris, daughter-in-law Barbara Opal (Stephen) and many other family and friends. She is survived by her children, Stephen Opal; Douglas (Cynthia) Morris; Keith (Cheryl) Opal and granddaughter Jessica; Dan (Kerrie) Opal and granddaughter Elaina; Gaylene (Richard) Deitering and granddaughters Amanda and Holly, and six great grandchildren.

May her memory be a blessing to all of those whose lives she touched.

Donations in her honor may be made to any animal rescue organization.

A 4:30 pm life celebration will be held Friday, November 20, 2026 at the Ann Arbor Senior Center, 1320 Baldwin Ave, Ann Arbor MI., 48104.