Connie Jean Holdampf

Constance “Connie” Jean Holdampf, 69, of Eugene, Oregon, passed away on July 31, 2026, surrounded by her loving husband and children.

Connie was born in Riverside, California, on April 15, 1957, to Curt and Geneva Lanning. When she was still young, her family relocated to the Bay Area, where she spent much of her childhood and young adulthood in and around Los Altos. The oldest of three and the only girl, Connie doted on her younger brothers, Craig, who was three years her junior, and Paul, who was ten years younger. She graduated from Los Altos High School in 1975.

Beginning in her teenage years and continuing into adulthood, Connie spent nearly two decades working for her father’s company, Award Service. In 1977, she married Mark Palmer. They welcomed their son, Ryan, in 1981, followed just shy of two years later by their daughter, Chelsey.

In 1989, Connie met Ken Holdampf, who would become the love of her life and her closest friend. Together, they blended their families with care and love, bringing Ken’s children, Kristina and Jason, together with Connie’s children, Ryan and Chelsey. When all four kids were together, they were their own modern-day Brady Bunch, quickly becoming one family in every sense that mattered. Connie and Ken married and completed their family in 1993 with the birth of their daughter, Katie.

In 1995, Connie and Ken, along with Ryan, Chelsey and Katie, made the move from California to Eugene, Oregon. Connie had always thought of herself as a California girl, but over the years she fell in love with Oregon and made it home. Eventually, Oregon called to even more of the family, with her mother and stepfather, her brother Paul, and her daughter Kristina and her family all making their way to Oregon as well.

Through nearly four decades together, Connie and Ken remained best friends and true partners in life. They shared a love of traveling, especially to Mexico, collecting countless memories together along the way, but they were just as content enjoying a simple date night out together. Above all, they cherished simply being together and the life they built side by side.

Family was at the center of Connie’s world. If you asked her what she was most proud of in life, the answer was easy: her five children and nine grandchildren. She loved nothing more than bringing her Brady Bunch family together for annual family get-togethers and treasured the rare occasions when everyone could be in the same place. While “Mom” was a name she loved, “Grammy” was perhaps the role she cherished most. She adored her grandchildren, delighted in doting on them, and found tremendous joy in simply being part of their lives.

If you asked Connie’s family what she was to them, they would all tell you the same thing: she was the glue. She was the one who kept everyone connected and made the miles between family members feel a little smaller, especially with Jason and his family in California and Ryan and his family in Arizona. Connie had a way of bringing people together, and because of her, family always felt close – even when they weren’t.

Connie never met a stranger. She could strike up a conversation with just about anyone, and her genuine interest in people had a way of making them feel seen, heard, and cared for. She often didn’t realize the impact she had on others, but those lucky enough to know her certainly did.

In recent years, Connie found great joy in plants and flowers, filling her home and surroundings with things she could nurture and watch grow. She also adored her dog, Kiki, and cat, Watson, who were very much part of the family. It was fitting for someone who spent so much of her life caring for and nurturing those around her.

Connie’s legacy lives on in the family she built, the relationships she nurtured and the countless people whose lives were better for having known her. She leaves behind a family bound together by the love she gave so freely – a love that will continue to grow for generations to come.

Connie was preceded in death by her father, Curt Lanning; her stepmother, Lila Lanning; and her brother, Craig Lanning.

She is survived by her loving husband, Ken Holdampf; her children, Ryan Palmer, Chelsey (Ryan) Lee, Kristina Worley, Jason (Becca) Holdampf, and Katie (Charles) Grissom; her grandchildren, Kale Palmer, Nathan Worley, Riley Palmer, Peyton Worley, Addyson Lee, Emery Lee, Trevor Holdampf, Talon Palmer, and Colton Holdampf; her mother, Geneva Gehrke; her stepfather, Lee Gehrke; and her brother, Paul Lanning.

A Celebration of Life will be planned for a later date.