Obituary: Constance “Connie” Begin
AUBURN — Constance “Connie” Begin, a lifelong Maine resident who devoted more than four decades to nursing and countless hours to her family and friends, died peacefully at her home on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. She was 94.
Begin was born in 1932 in Lewiston, the daughter of local parents. She earned her high school diploma from Lewiston High School in 1950 and soon after enrolled at St. Mary’s General Hospital School of Nursing. She graduated as a registered nurse in 1953 and later returned to school, taking courses at the University of Maine that led to certification as a surgical and operating‑room nurse. For more than 30 years she worked as an operating‑room instructor at St. Mary’s, touching the lives of colleagues and patients alike. Throughout her career she was an active member of both the Maine State Nurses Association and the Operating Room Nurses Association.
Her professional journey began with night shifts and a position in the hospital’s Medical Records Department, a schedule that gave her flexibility while raising her three children—Daniel (often called Dan), Catherine (Cathy) and Pamela (Pam). After her children were older, she moved into the operating room, where she remained until her retirement in 1995.
Begin and her husband, Maurice, who died in 2006, raised their family in a home on Martin Drive in Lewiston. The couple enjoyed a seasonal lifestyle after retirement: winters in Clearwater, Florida, and summers back in Lewiston. Connie’s hands were ever‑busy with a needle, and her knitted sweaters, hats and other creations became cherished gifts for family and friends over the decades. She also maintained a long‑standing card‑playing group, meeting with close friends each week for more than 30 years—a tradition that continued until just a few months before her death.
She is survived by her sister, Madeline Cote, and brother‑in‑law Lionel Cote; her children, Daniel and Susan Begin, Catherine Begin‑Foley and Sean Foley, and Pamela Boudreau Kemp and Alex Kemp; her grandchildren—Priscilla Moriuchi and Bret Moriuchi, Patrick Begin and Jillian Begin, Michelle Obenour and Kyle Obenour, Kelly Carlin and Taylor Carlin, James Boudreau and Carrie Davison, and Keenan Foley and Rory Foley; and five great‑grandchildren who all recall her gentle spirit and caring nature.
The community will gather to honor her life with a visitation on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Fortin & Pinette Group, located at 217 Turner Street in Auburn. Funeral services will be held the following morning, Friday, Sept. 18, at 11 a.m. also at The Fortin & Pinette Group, followed by a committal ceremony at St. Peter’s Cemetery. Friends and relatives may send condolences and share memories online at fortinpinettegroupauburn.com.
Connie Begin’s legacy lives on in the patients she cared for, the students she taught, and the family and friends who will always remember her kindness, compassion and steady presence.
