With deep sorrow and love, we share the passing of our dear beloved mother, Constance Lenore Felton Elias Rakity, who died peacefully at age 96 on Friday evening, September 29, 2023, with her daughter Leslie and family in West Cornwall, CT, where she had resided happily for the last few years of her life.

She leaves behind three devoted daughters, Janet, Viki & Leslie, three devoted sons- in-law, 8 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, a loving stepson, nieces, nephews, cousins, and many good friends who adored her and will never stop loving her!

Connie was born on January 31, 1927, and grew up in Brooklyn, NY. She attended PS 197, James Madison High, Brooklyn College and The University of Wisconsin where she studied science. She received her masters in education at Adelphi University. She married her high school sweetheart, Robert Elias and together they raised their daughters and had many great years together. Later she married Robert Rakity and had a very happy second marriage of many years, gaining two wonderful step sons, Fred and Jeff.

Connie was a one-of-a-kind woman, a wonderful human being full of curiosity, spirit, courage, love, laughter, poetry, song, dancing, rhythm and an ability to create playful joy wherever she was and whomever she was with. She was one of the kindest, sweetest, loveliest and most generous people in this world. She fought for social justice from a young age, helped in the war effort during World War Two, helped co-found and run a cooperative nursery school in Long Island, taught science to children, became a landscape and portrait photographer. At 86, she made a courageous move to Israel (known as Aliyah) to be near her eldest daughter and family who span 4 generations. She lived an active life in Jerusalem, exhibiting her special photographs which demonstrated her innate affinity for nature and the world of the imagination.

Here are her words she wrote about her own life for an art exhibit she participated in at 86 years old for the new immigrants (Olim) at The Association of Americans and Canadians in Jerusalem:

“ I was born in Brooklyn, New York, 1927 and raised by two parents who were chemists. They ran a business, making flavors and fragrances. Just before I was born, my father suffered a stroke at age 35. He remained paralyzed on the left side. Nothing stopped his innovative mind. He not only went to work in business part time, but with help developed a garden, raised plants in a greenhouse, bought a farm in New Jersey where he raised rabbits, dogs, chickens-as well as children on weekends and summers.

My mother filmed it all. I learned from each parent whatever I could. After I raised three children, I lived in NYC alone and studied photography. Developing film in my darkroom satisfied the chemistry urge and background I knew about. I photographed nature, especially trees that appealed to me and seemed to talk to me.

I worked in the chemical company in insurance and personnel until the company was sold and I retired to Florida. My passion for photography continued in a darkroom. As I traveled to many countries, I took pictures of people and nature, and more trees and rocks that appealed to me.. I grew up with a great influence from my parents. Chemistry and nature from my father, filming and photography from my mother.”

She was a pioneer donor in the Sadna, a school co-created  by her daughter Janet to serve special needs children and adults (where Connie’s grandson Hanan now lives and flourishes). She was a great supporter of Technion University in Israel and The Southern Poverty Law Center in the United States.

At 91, she moved back to America to spend time with her dear sister and brother-in-law June and Ira Kapp. She lived with both her adoring daughters, Viki in New Hampshire and Leslie in West Cornwall, where she lived peacefully and fully, always loved. In New Hampshire she swam, created pottery, and practiced T’ai Chi with daughter Viki and family.

Mom loved gardening, animals, children, puppets, poetry, playing the piano, quilting, and dancing. In her last years, she enjoyed playing her tambourine tirelessly in time to her favorite musicians such as Harry Belafonte, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Pete Seeger, Bach, Brahms, Beethoven and all kinds of music. She made everyone smile as she was always ready to recite her favorite poem ‘The Owl and The Pussycat” by Edward Lear. She helped everyone around her, actively engaging in life, people and community. She was a lifetime supporter of her daughter Leslie’s educational theater company and nonprofit, Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children’s Theater.

The family would like to thank the caregivers who helped support her through her last few years and through hospice. The love and kinship she engendered around her was truly remarkable. We all are humbled and grateful for the time spent by her side.

Connie always wished for  racial equality, tolerance and world peace. She created peace around her.

 A celebration of her life with music will be held this winter in her home in Cornwall, CT. Please contact her daughter Leslie Elias at grumblinggryphons@gmail.com for further details.

Graveside services took place on Monday, October 2, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in the family plot at Spruce Run Cemetery, 443 West Hill Road, Glen Gardner, NJ, 08826, under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

You are encouraged to visit Constance’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.

In lieu of gifts of food or flowers, contributions may be made to a charity which will be announced.

Donations in her honor can be made to the following organizations:

 ~Sadna Shiluv (via JGive), the community in Israel where her grandson, Hanan lives, co-founded by  her daughter, Janet Cassel. Please click HERE to make your donation.

~American Technion Society: Your gift to the Technion funds innovative solutions to humanity’s most pressing challenges through scientific research and education. From advanced health and medicine to revolutionary technologies that enhance our quality of life to a more sustainable planet, join Technion’s brightest minds in creating a better future for Israel and humanity. Contributions to the American Technion Society are tax-deductible and can be made online by clicking HERE or via mail to The American Technion Society, 55 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022.

~The Southern Poverty Law Center was also near and dear to Connie’s heart and contributions may be made by clicking HERE.

~The National Yiddish Book Center by clicking HERE.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”