Connie K. Bacon

WEBSTER – Connie Bacon, 61, of Webster, South Dakota, passed away surrounded by her family on Friday, November 23, 2018 at Sanford Hospital in Webster. Visitation will be held 5-7 p.m, followed by a 7 p.m. prayer service on Thursday, November 29, 2018, at Fiksdal Funeral Service (https://www.fiksdalfuneral.com) at 122 West Fifth Avenue in Webster. Funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 30, 2018 at St. John’s Lutheran Church at 820 Main Street in Webster. Reverend Mike DeKraai will officiate. Interment will follow at Webster Cemetery at 102 East Ninth Avenue in Webster. Connie Kay Bahr was born on January 28, 1957, to Ernest and Virginia (Anderson) Bahr in Fremont, Nebraska. The family made their home in Nebraska, where Connie attended school. Her mother then married Francis Grosch. He worked construction, so the family moved several times before settling in Redfield, South Dakota. Connie graduated from Redfield High School in 1975, but not before she was swept off her feet by the love of her life! On June 22, 1974, she and Charles “Chuck” Bacon of Redfield were united in marriage. To this union, three children were born: Charles II, William, and Kaylee. Connie was proud of how diverse and unique her children were, and supported them unconditionally. During her first year of marriage, Connie began her 43-year career in physical therapy at the South Dakota Developmental Center in Redfield. In 1990, she received the Governor’s Excellence award for providing medical assistance in a medical emergency. In 1989, the family relocated to Webster, South Dakota, where Connie joined Lake Area Hospital’s physical therapy department. Connie also became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and worked for the local ambulance service. In 1996, Connie graduated from Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, South Dakota, as part of its first-ever Physical Therapy Assistant class. The following year, she and Thea Pallansch established TLC Physical Therapy in Webster. Connie had a way of empathizing with and understanding the needs of her patients, and made it her personal responsibility to use her optimism, persistence, and attentiveness to provide specialized treatment and ensure the greatest recovery. Connie considered her patients family, and developed a deep love and respect for all of them. Connie was a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and South Dakota American Physical Therapy Association (SDAPTA), and enjoyed attending conferences and staying current on the latest developments in physical therapy practices. Connie often said that after raising her family, her greatest achievement was establishing her own business and watching it grow to meet the physical therapy and fitness needs of Day County and surrounding area residents. Connie truly loved her work, and this was evident by the skilled and compassionate care she delivered to her patients for over four decades. She was awarded the South Dakota Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) of the Year award in 1997. Connie loved giving back to the community, and was a member of St John’s Lutheran Church and the American Legion Auxiliary. She was also a member of the Cruisin’ Classics Car Club, and proudly entered her mother’s 1964 Mercury Monterey – which Connie had lovingly and meticulously restored – in local car shows. Connie was an avid sports fan, her favorite teams being the Minnesota Vikings, Nebraska Cornhuskers, and Minnesota Twins. In her spare time, she enjoyed gardening, canning, reading, playing video lottery with friends, playing scratch tickets, attending music concerts, and bargain shopping. She would never pass up a good deal! Any spare time Connie had was spent playing with, walking, and loving Buddy, the family’s beloved Labradoodle. In keeping with Connie's loving and generous spirit, her giving continues as her donation of tissues will touch the lives of many others. Connie Bacon will be forever loved and greatly missed by her husband of 44 years Chuck Bacon of Webster, South Dakota; her sons Charles (Sandy) Bacon II of Colorado Springs, Colorado, William “Billy” (Adrian Guzman) Bacon of New York, New York; her daughter Kaylee (Matt) LaCroix of Rapid City, South Dakota; and her six grandchildren: Briana, Karyssa, Bradan, and Rylee Bacon, and Madison and Alexis Nicolaisen. She is also survived by her brother James Bahr of Sheridan, Wyoming, and by many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Francis and Virginia Grosch, Ernest and Lucille Bahr, and brother, Daniel Bahr. Visitation will be Thursday 5-7 P.M. closing with a 7 P.M. prayer service at Fiksdal Funeral Service in Webster.