Obituary of Constance Belsheim Stennes

Constance Belsheim Stennes, age 76, died peacefully at Ebenezer Ridges care facility in Burnsville, Minnesota on September 19, 2021. Connie was born in Carrington, North Dakota on May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day, to Osbourne and Helen Belsheim. She shared the same birthdate as her eventual husband of 49 years, Stephen Stennes. Connie was preceded in death by her parents and husband and is survived by son Matthew Stennes (Libretta), daughter Sarah de Leon (Michael); three grandchildren, Zachary, Miles, and Paige; brother-in-law Greg Stennes (Andrea); sister-in-law Kaye Stennes; sister-in-law Kathryn Stennes; and a number of her beloved cousins.

Connie graduated from Dickinson (ND) High School in 1963, where she excelled in music and academics. Connie attended the University of North Dakota, where she created lifelong friendships with her Gamma Phi Beta sorority sisters and met Steve. She graduated with a degree in English and Education in 1967 and began her long career in teaching. She would later also earn her master’s degree in education from St. Cloud State University in 1985. Connie was inducted into the P.E.O. philanthropic organization in 1967 and was a lifelong member of Chapter Q in Montevideo.

When Steve enlisted in the military and after his return from serving honorably in Vietnam, Connie held teaching positions in Minneapolis, Williston (ND), Sierra Vista (AZ), Spring Lake Park (MN), and East Grand Forks (MN). In 1983, Connie and Steve and their kids settled in Montevideo, Minnesota, where Connie would establish herself as a well-respected and popular member of the Montevideo High School faculty and where she would teach for the remainder of her career.

During her tenure in Montevideo, Connie taught various English, drama, and current events classes, but she made her biggest impact directing plays and coaching the high school speech competition team. Connie directed dozens of full-length performance and one-act competition plays at Montevideo High School. Some of her most memorable productions included Romeo & Juliet, The Diary of Anne Frank, Harvey, Cyrano, The Crucible, and The Glass Menagerie. Several of her productions advanced to the state one-act play competition.

As coach of the Montevideo speech team, Connie helped those students develop their public speaking skills and coached more than two dozen different students – including her son and daughter – to the Minnesota state speech tournament. Several of her speakers won state championships. As a speech coach, Connie helped prepare dozens of students for careers in public speaking, law, teaching, and business, where they regularly utilize the public speaking skills Connie helped them develop. In 1997, Connie was recognized by the Minnesota Speech Coaches Association with their prestigious Distinguished Service Award.

Just before the start of the new school year in 1993, Connie suffered a ruptured cerebral aneurysm that left her with long term physical complications. This medical tragedy prematurely shortened her teaching and coaching career, but Connie’s impact continues to be felt by the hundreds of students she touched. Her most impactful life lessons for her son Matt and daughter Sarah will remain her unwavering love for family and friends and her resilience and positive outlook in the face of tremendous adversity.

Steve and Connie ultimately relocated from Montevideo to the Twin Cities, where Connie enjoyed being near her children and grandchildren. She spent many happy years living at The Commons

on Marice in Eagan, where she stayed active with choir, residents’ council, and bingo. She particularly enjoyed regular visits and daily phone calls from her close Montevideo and Gamma Phi Beta friends. She worshiped regularly with the chaplains at The Commons and later at Ebenezer Ridges and was ready to return to her God and reunite with Steve in heaven. Connie will be dearly missed by her family and friends.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Thursday, October 21 at 3:00 PM at Shepard of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley (online participation will be available). In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Montevideo High School Scholarship Fund, 1501 William Ave., Montevideo, MN 56265.