Connie Lee Gilmore

Connie Lee Madsen Gilmore, a.k.a. “Connie Contrail, Queen of the Skies”, passed away in the early morning hours of April 24, 2016 at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah after a three-year battle with carcinoid cancer.  Those who loved her most were fortunate to be at her bedside as she passed.

Connie was born on February 5, 1942 in Ogden, Utah to Joseph Crawshaw Madsen and Hazel Victorine Wintle Madsen.  She graduated from Ogden High School in 1960 and from Weber State College with a degree in Elementary Education in 1964.  Connie taught elementary school in Ogden from 1964 until 1968 when she moved to Mesa, Arizona, where she taught 4th, 5th and 6th grades.  In 1971 she met the love of her life, Charles Patrick Gilmore, a USAF pilot based at Williams AFB, Arizona.  They were married in Ogden on July 1, 1972 and made their first home in San Bernardino, CA. 

Pat and Connie lived in San Bernardino for fourteen years.  All three of their children, Amy, Erin and Mark, were born there.  Connie was proud to be a full-time homemaker while Pat flew for the Air Force Reserve and Western Airlines, but she also worked part time as a home and hospital teacher for the San Bernardino School District until they moved to Bountiful, Utah in 1986.  As the children grew older, she and Pat were able to travel extensively to Hawaii and all over Europe with long-time Air Force friends.

Connie had three great loves in her life: Family, Politics and the Utah Jazz.  She had a friendly, easy-going personality, a warm smile, and a sense of humor that was impossible to resist. Connie possessed an uncanny ability to make friends wherever she went.  Her extended family loved to go to “Aunt Connie’s House” for her “Sunday Soirees” and holiday dinners; 40 or 50 guests at meals were not unusual. Her compassion and sacrifice for her family, love of life, and sheer determination (or stubbornness, as Pat would say) was an inspiration to all as she fought through her cancer. It was her determination and love of life that lead her to extensively research treatments for carcinoid patients, often to the point that she was able to educate her medical staff.  She was the matriarch of her entire family and the glue that held them together for many years.  She was dearly loved by all who knew her; our hearts are broken.

Connie was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Indian Trail Camp, and a member of the LDS Canyon Park Ward in Bountiful.  Her spiritual life was deep and sincere.

Connie is survived by her husband, Pat Gilmore, son Mark (Krissy Nielsen) Gilmore, and daughters Amy (Aaron) Arbuckle and Erin Gilmore, her five grandchildren, Ethan, Jacob, Callie and Gracie Arbuckle and Colin Gilmore, all of Bountiful, as well as her brother Dr. Ted (Sharon Blair) Madsen, MD of Price, Utah, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends throughout Utah and the United States. Her parents and her brother, Dr. Jack Austin Madsen, MD, preceded her in death. 

Russon Brothers Mortuary, 295 N. Main in Bountiful, will have a viewing on Friday night, April 29, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 at the Canyon Park Ward, 1190 Bountiful Hills Dr. in Bountiful with a viewing from 10:00 – 10:45 a.m. preceding the services.  Burial will be in Lakeview Cemetery in Bountiful. Online guestbook at www.russonmortuary.com.  In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Huntsman Cancer Institute would be a gift near and dear to Connie’s heart