Constance "Connie" Kay Kaddatz

CONSTANCE “CONNIE” KAY KADDATZ passed away on July 20, 2024, in Duluth at the age of 67. 

Connie was born on September 9, 1956, at the Meeker County Hospital to George and Dorothy (Hervin) Kaddatz. She was one of nine children who were raised on the family farm south of Cosmos, MN. Connie graduated from Cosmos Public Schools where she participated in band and choir. She began her lifelong commitment to helping and caring for others as a teenager when she worked as an aide at the Cosmos Nursing Home. After high school, she attended Rochester Community Technical College, received a Medical Lab Technician degree, and became a mother with the birth of Contessa (who she called “my girl”). She then moved to Litchfield where she worked as a Medical Lab Technician at Meeker County Hospital and Sibley Clinic, gave birth to Jayme (her “honey girl”) and Cally (her “dolly”), and was later the Volunteer and Bereavement Coordinator for hospice services. She earned a BA in Social Work from the College of St. Catherine and became a licensed Social Worker in 1995. That same year, she became a grandma for the first time when her grandson Shalom was born. She radiated love for her “love boy” and he was her pride and joy. Connie and her girls moved to Waseca where she worked as a Social Worker first at the Waterville Good Samaritan Center as Director of Social Services and then the MN Valley Action Council as a Vocational Advisor, helping people secure housing and find employment. Connie moved to Duluth in 2014 where she continued her work as a Social Worker and doted over her two young grandchildren - Olivia, her love girl, and Desmond, her honey boy. While in Duluth, she worked at the Benedictine Health Center, North Shore Horizons shelter, and, most recently, at Thomas Allen working with nursing home residents. 

Anyone who knew Connie knew she had endless compassion that was demonstrated in her love for her family, her friends, and her clients. She was an avid reader - amassing a large collection of suspense and mystery novels that she often shared with others. She inherited her parents’ green thumb, planting and meticulously maintaining beautiful gardens. She had a beautiful singing voice and taught herself to play the acoustic guitar. Connie held a deep devotion for God, knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and found community through her faith. She grew up as part of the Peace Lutheran congregation in Cosmos where she was confirmed, became a member of Zion Lutheran church in Litchfield, then a member of Grace Lutheran in Waseca where she served on the Church Council. She attended services at several congregations in Duluth before finding a home at Rock Hill Church where she regularly attended. She was part of every church band, always felt the joy of the Holy Spirit through dancing, and served on mission trips to Pine Ridge.

Following the death of her daughter Cally Jo, Connie joined Pam Poirer and Patty Wetterling in advocating for reforms to require lifetime registration for violent or predatory sex offenders, to create a DNA database of known offenders, provide money for more probation officers, and develop a statewide crime computer network to better connect law enforcement records. She later served on the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission. She founded and oversaw the Cally Jo Children’s Fund that has provided support for families that have experienced trauma and scholarships for graduating seniors pursuing a career working with children. 

She will be dearly missed by her daughters Contessa Sovereign and Jayme (Chad) McKenna; her grandchildren Shalom Larson, Olivia McKenna, and Desmond McKenna; her siblings Don (Jean) Kaddatz, Laurel (Jackie) Kaddatz, Coreen (Steve) Williams, Bette Schweer, Georgine Madden, Craig (Nancy) Kaddatz, Jay Paul (Denise) Kaddatz, and Patricia (Scott) Cozad; and her many nieces and nephews. She will join those who preceded her death in heaven: her daughter Cally Jo; her parents Dorothy and George Kaddatz; brother-in-law Brian Schweer; nephew Michael Lundin; Janice Winter; Elizabeth (Lisa) and Mike Zeps; and her dog Jaxon.

Visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, August 1, 2024 at the Third Street Chapel of Dennis-Steffel-Omtvedt Funeral and Cremation Service in Waseca, and will continue for one hour before the service at the church on Friday. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations made payable to the “WAF-Cally Jo fund” may be directed to the Cally Jo Children’s Fund c/o Waseca Area Foundation at 501 East Elm Avenue, Waseca, MN 56093. 

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 2, 2024 at Grace Lutheran Church in Waseca with Rev. Jillene Gallatin officiating. A luncheon will follow at church. Connie will be laid to rest next to her dolly, Cally Jo, at Lake Ripley Cemetery in Litchfield at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 3, 2024.