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Connie Yee
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Born in Salinas, CA
Departed on Apr. 17, 2012 and resided in Salinas, CA.
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| Visitation: |
Friday, Apr. 27, 2012
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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| Funeral Service: |
Saturday, Apr. 28, 2012
10:30 am
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| Cemetery: |
Garden of Memories Cemetery
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Please click on the links above for locations, times, maps, and directions.
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Connie Yee left this world like she lived it: a fighter. She was 29 years old forty-four times over, and passed away after a brief battle with cancer.
Connie was born and raised in Salinas, CA and left only briefly to earn her Bachelors in psychology from UC Berkeley. She returned to Salinas and worked as a Legal Secretary before pursuing her lifelong dream as a school teacher and guidance counselor. She spent a majority of her career with the Salinas Union High School District, worked for a couple years as a crisis counselor at Hartnell College, and retired as a counselor from El Sausal Junior High School.
Connie, always in pursuit of self-improvement, went back to school in the 1970's to obtain a Master's Degree in Psychology and a Pupil Personnel credential from Santa Clara University. She later obtained her MFT license and opened a private therapy practice. She claimed to her daughters that in all her years of distributing therapy she only lost one couple to divorce! She was an active member of the Monterey Bay community, serving on the Board of the Western Stage (and even acting in one of its musical theater productions!), and giving workshops on Air Pollution for the Monterey County Air Pollution Control Agency. She was a member of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance and is a former President of the Monterey County chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. One of her most prized achievements was spending two years as a self-esteem consultant with renowned "Chicken Soup" author Jack Canfield.
Connie met Ward, the love of her life, while he was on a date with one of her girlfriends. They married shortly after she graduated from college, and soon increased their brood with three rambunctious children. She filled their house with music, and a love of all things creative and fun. She was the consummate educator and encouraged her children to explore every possible activity imaginable.
Connie possessed an uncanny aptitude to "feel" slot machines. She routinely won large jackpots, and one year managed to fund her daughter's elaborate wedding entirely on slot winnings. Connie also had a skill for Texas Holdem. Even when she fell ill she often managed to make it to her Wednesday night poker games and occasional splurges to Thunder Valley. Connie's nickname was "Lucky" for good reason. She had a penchant for winning, and had free trips to Alaska and Broadway to prove it.
One of Connie's most precious gifts to the world was the time she spent with her grandchildren. She drove 2 hours every Friday to see them. In the end, her children and grandchildren and the immense love they have for her may prove to be her greatest legacy.
Connie was preceded in death by her husband, Ward; her father, Paul Olivete; her mother, Dominga Olivete; and her sister, Gloria Olivete.
Connie is survived by her daughter, Allison Tiongson, her daughter Jolene Yee, son-in-law John Wicks, and their two children Eliza and JP, son Ward Olivete and his partner Thomas Kane, sisters, Consuelo Morrison and Violeta Olivete, brother, David Castro, and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held Friday, April 27, 2012, 4:00pm to 7:00pm at Struve and Laporte Chapel, 41 W San Luis St., Salinas, CA.
Funeral Service will be held Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 10:30am at the Struve and Laporte Chapel.
Burial will follow immediately after at the Garden of Memories Cemetery, 768 Abbott Street, Salinas, CA.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Connie's name to the Community Hospital of Monterey County Hospice of the Central Coast or the Stanford Women's Cancer Center. A college scholarship fund, The Connie Yee Memorial Fund, will be established to benefit college-bound seniors who attended El Sausal Junior High. For more information on donating to the Memorial Fund, please contact cyeememfund@gmail.com. Connie Yee Memorial Fund c/o Charity Smith, P.O.BOX 10750, Bainbridge Island, WA., 98110 or www.charitysmith.org/endeavors/cyee
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