Constance “Connie” (Gureckis) McCullion, born on May 15, 1947 in Nashua, NH passed away peacefully on October 24th at her home surrounded by family. She was 79 years old. She is proceeded by her parents Evelyn M.(Shanahan) and Adam C. Gureckis, Sr.as well as her younger brother Adam Gureckis, Jr. and her youngest niece, Jennifer Gureckis.

Connie was a lifelong resident of Nashua. She was educated in the Nashua school system and graduated from Nashua Senior High School in 1965. Upon graduation she worked for Sanders Associates. She met for lunch every month for over 60 years with her ‘65 ladies and was instrumental in the planning of many class reunions.

She was married on May 11, 1968 to Dennis McCullion of Summit Hill, PA. McCullion was a soldier in the U.S. Army and shortly after the ceremony, the newlyweds were stationed in Japan for two years.

Competitive, relentless, selfless and especially, stubbornness were the traits that defined her as a person and professional. She was a tireless worker who did things when no one was looking. Her competitive spirit in sales started at a company called Decorama where she would be the host at gathering to sell decorative wall tiles as well as various knick-knacks of the era. Her goal wasn’t always just the sale itself, but to be the best salesperson in the company. This relentless pursuit of success was her foundation for her future endeavors.

She was later the General Manager of WDER radio station in Derry, NH that was owned by her father, Adam and her Uncle Al and Uncle Peter. In 1999 she was instrumental in negotiating the sale of the station and adjacent properties.

But her professional life was best known by her and her husband’s publishing company called HealthCare Review which was founded in 1987. It was a publication distributed throughout the health care facilities in New England. Her company also hosted a widely popular event for Healthcare Professionals called Healthcare Symposium. It was a job fair for nursing professionals as well as a venue for them to earn Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) where thousands attended the show. It was one of the most popular gatherings of its kind in New England, and it was also known for giving tuition scholarships to many students who attended to help pay for their education.

She eventually worked for Yankee Publishing even after her brain surgery in June. She was responsible for media sales. She retired this summer to focus fully on her health and enjoy time with her grandchildren and family.

Her competitive nature came through in her personal life as well as she was known for “turning over” Atari games until the score would be forced reset to zero. She was also a master at “Candy Crush” on Facebook where she was nationally ranked at one point. She was also an avid bowler which she picked up in Japan and brought back with her to Nashua.

She was never shy to pick up a microphone at a party to get the night started. Dancing to “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” with her nephew Aaron was a typical sight at a gathering. Always the organizer of family parties where everyone would expect there to be too much food especially desserts that day. And one could always expect that plenty of Kendall Jackson chardonnay would be on hand and a request of “We Are Family” not far behind.

Her love of Lancaster County in Pennsylvania, otherwise known as “Amish Country”, was legendary to people who knew her. Connie would go as many as four or five times a year to shop for discount flowers, knick-knacks, signs to hang in her house, hundreds of spices and of course, shoe fly pie.

But what was most important to her later showed her selflessness as she volunteered her time and sales expertise to the Gureckis family charity called the Jenny Fund. It is a memorial annual golf tournament for her niece Jennifer who passed away in 2017 from brain cancer which was the same affliction both Connie and her mother Evelyn battled. This year alone, the one-day tournament raised $85,000 for research at Mass General Hospital.

At her side throughout her illness were her husband Dennis of 58 years her daughter Kimberly and husband Dante Laurendi and her son Shawn and his wife, Laurie. Her grandchildren Kaitlyn and Thomas Laurendi, who she adored, were with her as well. Her nieces Ashley Clark and Heather Guilfoyle and always, her siblings and friends, were instrumental in her care since her diagnosis in May. And always the hostess, no matter how sick Connie was, when she heard the door open that person was already offered a apple cider donut before they got to the top step.

Her children were known for their competitiveness in sports at Sacred Heart University and Emerson College respectively and both attribute that trait back to their mother. There wasn’t a game that either Connie or Dennis didn’t attend while both were in school despite the travel it took to get there.

Connie leaves behind her siblings and their spouses Linda and John Cunliffe, her brother Adam’s wife Beverly Gureckis, Judith Farrar and James, Patricia and James Clark, John and Sandi (Reardon) Gureckis, Pamela and James Ford, and Debra Gureckis as well as her Aunt Esther “Cookie” and Uncle Paul Gertsner all of whom have been lifelong residents of Nashua.

Her nieces, and nephews all knew the backyard pool was theirs to enjoy on any random summer day. There are too many close friends and travel partners to Amish Country to mention individually but they were an integral part of Connie’s life.

Connie and her daughter Kim would always say before saying goodnight, “Somebody’s got to take the ball out”. And with that, the family is asking in lieu of flowers, to donate in her name to the Jenny Fund for Brain Tumor Research. You can find the link at thejennyfund.org/donate

Family and friends are invited to Connie’s visitation on WEDNESDAY November 4th from 4 until 7 PM at ROCHETTE FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, 21 Kinsley Street, Nashua. Her funeral mass will take place on THURSDAY November 5th at 10 AM at Parish of the Resurrection, 449 Broad Street, Nashua. Kindly meet at church. Interment will take place at the connivence of the family at the NH Veteran’s Cemetery in Boscawen.