Connie Merise Pires (Voreis) was born March 31, 1955 to Irene and Billy G. Voreis at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego. Her father was in the Navy and was at sea when she was born. When she was three years old, she moved to Hawaii with her family. She spent four years in Hawaii and then moved to Empire, Oregon near Coos Bay. She was there for 3 1/2 years then moved back to Hawaii and back into the same home on the base she had been in before. She attended Barber Point Elementary School at Barber Point Naval Station. Her teachers always said she was a very helpful student.

When her father retired from the Navy, they moved to Fortuna, and that is where she met the love of her life, Robert Pires, at Fortuna High School. On July 7, 1974 she and Robert got married. They went on to have two beautiful children, Michael and Trisha Pires, and stayed married until September 23, 2017, when Robert lost his short fight with cancer.

Many people knew Connie from the many years she spent working at Ross Dress For Less, and before that at Joann Fabrics. Connie was a seamstress and could do anything from replacing a zipper to making a beautiful wedding dress. She would proudly tell you about the time she made Garth Brooks a country-western shirt, and went to his concert to deliver it.

Connie was such a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She enjoyed bowling with her husband in their younger years along with her son Michael. She loved cooking with her daughter and granddaughters, and would often say how we needed to try her new recipe. Connie could often be found on the sidelines at the football field, in the bleachers on the basketball court, or right behind the lanes of the bowling alley. She was such a proud grandmother and was always her grandchildren’s and children’s biggest supporter.

On June 6, 2024 Connie lost her seven-month battle with leukemia and went on to spend her next life with the love of her life.

Connie is survived by her mother, Irene Voreis; son, Michael Pires (Elena); her daughter, Trisha Pires; her grandchildren Michael Pires, Mikaylah Bengtson, Prince Latimer and Kharma Latimer; her sisters, Debra Voreis, Donna Voreis and Teresa Voreis; her brother Loren Voreis; and many other nieces, nephews, family members and bonus children she acquired over the years.

We will be having a family reunion style celebration of life at Rohnerville Park in Fortuna on October 6, 2024 at 12 p.m.

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