Connie Dillon Grayson, 90, passed away peacefully on Feb. 16, 2025, under the care of BeeHive Homes of Kalispell.
Connie was born July 4, 1934, the eldest daughter of Sylvester and Clyta (Pete) Dillon. She was raised in Wolf Point and attended Sunnyside School, later graduating valedictorian of her class at Wolf Point High School in 1952. Connie loved school and often told stories of how important receiving an education was to her. After high school graduation, Connie briefly married Grant Grayson and raised two children, Scott and Holly, in Wolf Point, Helena, Great Falls and Kalispell. In addition to being a doting mother, an adventuresome cook, and a fashion follower, she was a willing and competent farmhand on her father’s wheat farm.
She attended bookkeeping school in Billings and served in several secretarial and bookkeeping positions as she moved around the country. Connie was vivacious, hardworking and full of fun, making her unusually valued in any position she held. She enjoyed politics and worked in Helena for the Republican party as well as for the State of Oregon.
In the 1970s in Monterey, Calif., Connie started a house cleaning business while building her artwork inventory. In her 50s, Connie returned to school at the University of California, Santa Cruz and earned a bachelor’s degree with a major in community studies, competing on the collegiate tennis team at age 56. Connie spent many years living in Monterey and Salinas, Calif., where she delighted in the warm climate, allowing her the freedom to run and play tennis as much as possible while making friends with other sports enthusiasts.
After completing her college degree, Connie lived in Salem, Oregon and California and pursued her true passion, which was art. She was a photographer and a screen printer and enjoyed making unique and intricate pieces of art from homemade paper. Connie took great pleasure in loading up her van with all of the necessary items for an art show and driving around California or Oregon, participating in the art scene and successfully supporting herself as an artist for many years.
In 2001, Connie inherited her mother’s home in Wolf Point and returned to her place of birth to renovate the home and reconnect with relatives. During this time, Connie delighted in laboring over the renovation of the home, gardening (and picking every last weed) and having a front row seat in the lives of her grandniece and -nephews, Jaclyn, Jakeb and Joshua.
Connie always made her mark on any community she entered as she was light hearted, joyful and welcoming. She often reminisced about the years Jaclyn brought her basketball friends to her house during lunch. She kept the fridge well stocked! She also doted on Jake and Josh, reveling in their creative play after school where her “house in town” was always Open House!
In 2012, Connie was able to sell the Wolf Point home and moved back to Kalispell for her remaining years. She delighted in time with her son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Patty, and their daughters, Annie and Maggie and their families.
When she proudly became a grandmother at the age of 50, she declined the title of “grandma” and preferred “Grannie” instead. Annie and Maggie always knew how much they meant to her because she was consistently present in their lives. Grannie lit up any room she walked into with her beautiful smile, energetic personality and funny stories. She was supportive and loving, fiercely independent and a treasure to those who loved her. She showed a sincere interest in other people and her constant sense of humor endeared her to many people. Grannie loved art, flowers, sports, and reading. Her homes were always full of tasteful, artistic items and bouquets of collected flowers. She appreciated ordinary, beautiful things and taught her loved ones to do the same.
Connie beat three different types of cancer and handled dementia with grace when she reached her late 80s. She cared for her daughter Holly with passion and selflessness until Holly’s passing in 2018. She never stopped sharing her gratitude for the care she received from her son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Patty Grayson, and for the staff at BeeHive Homes of Kalispell.
Connie was preceded in death by her parents, Sylvester and Clyta (Pete) Dillon; her sister, Barbara Dillon; her daughter, Holly Grayson Owens; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Connie is survived by her sister, Clyta (Dogie) Dillon Barry (Mark); nephew, JD Sansaver (Jenine); niece, Mikel Sansaver (Tim Kurokawa); great-niece, Jaclyn Fearis (Garrison); great-nephews, Jakeb and Josh Bushman; son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Patty Grayson; granddaughters, Annie Lillard (David) and Maggie Rowe (Ben); and five great-grandchildren, Jeff, Simon, Gregory, Cora and Grayson. We will forever celebrate Grannie!
(Paid Obituary)
