Constance DiBenedetto

PORTLAND – Connie passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at 75 State Street, Portland, Maine, after a full life of 91 years. Connie was born on Feb. 28, 1933, to Helen and Donald Campbell.

Connie (Mom and Nana) spent her childhood in Westboro, Mass., and graduated from the University of Massachusetts. She began her professional career as an English teacher at Randolph High School and later taught at the University of Lowell. During the early days of the computer revolution, she completed a computer programming curriculum and worked as a programmer in the banking industry before transitioning into the equestrian community.

After moving west with her husband Gene in the 1980s, Connie fulfilled her childhood dream by spending the next 35 years building and managing Arabian horse farms in Carefree and Cave Creek, Ariz. Her passion and dedication left a lasting impact on the equestrian community and the many lives she touched.

Connie valued her faith and found community in the Anglican tradition. After moving to the Scottsdale area, she became involved with Saint Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church in Paradise Valley. Later, after relocating to the Cave Creek area, she joined Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church, where she sang in the choir and served as a lector. During this time, she deepened her involvement in church life by completing the Education for Ministry (EFM) program through the School of Theology at the University of the South.

Music was an integral part of her life. She was an accomplished violinist where at a young age received offers to play with prestigious orchestras including the New England Conservatory of Music.

Connie loved her family, teaching them the value of independence and resilience. She prioritized living life on her terms, showing her family the importance of pursuing their own dreams with grit and determination. Her strength, confidence, and passion for what she loved most inspired those around her to embrace their own unique paths and face life with the same courage and resolve.

Connie shared her lifelong passion for the ocean with her family spending many summer days together at the beach and strolling the Marginal way in Ogunquit, Maine.  Even in her later years she seized every opportunity to don her bathing cap and go for a swim in the “refreshing” ocean waters.

She is survived by her sister Judith Campbell; children Elizabeth Pontani, Eric Lindbom, Peter Lindbom and daughter-in-law Nancy Lindbom, and Tracy Paul and daughter-in-law Jennifer Paul; nine grandchildren; and nine great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, Gene DiBenedetto, and grandson, Adam Pontani.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 580 Forest Avenue, Portland, ME 04101 and a reception following at DeMillo’s restaurant, 25 Long Wharf, Portland.