Constance "Connie" McCormick Platt

Constance McCormick Platt, Connie, 87, died at her home in Longmont, Colorado, May 16, 2025.   Constance was born November 15th, 1937, the only child of Harold and Pauline McCormick, in Illinois and grew up in California and Illinois.  Raised mostly in Springfield, Il., by her mother and step father, William Telford, Constance enjoyed reading, the beauty of flower gardens, and her friends.  Attending Northwestern University, Connie met Frederic Platt, a lifeguard on the beach of Lake Michigan.  Connie obtained her BA in Journalism.  Fred and Constance married, with promises of lifelong travel together.  They started immediately, moving to California and driving up and down the coast.  While Fred was in Medical School at Stanford, Connie obtained her MA from San Jose State and birthed their first child:  Jennifer.

Their small family moved to Chicago, near Fred’s family and his new job, at the University of Chicago.  Connie had her second child:  Rebecca.  Then they moved to Colorado Springs, and after that, to Denver.  In Denver, Fred built his medical practice and Constance involved herself in the community.  Connie was an enthusiastic, early member of the Park Hill Book Group, a women’s club, and many community activities.  She was charitable to her daughters’ friends and children in the neighborhood.  She is fondly remembered for her kindness.

Connie obtained her PhD in 19th Century Women’s Literature, from Denver University.  Her jobs over the years included: selling paper, selling toys, teaching, writing, and journalism.  Interviewing authors on her KDTV program, Between the Covers, showcased Connie’s gift for intimate understanding of literature, and the authors that create it, while bringing readers closer to the material, and themselves. 

Throughout her life, Constance gave her attention to advocacy groups, supporting them as a board member and with charitable contributions.  The many groups Connie supported include neighborhood organizations and local schools, library communities, Senior Support Services of Denver, Rocky Ridge Music Center, golf and soccer clubs, educational and mentorship programs, Hospice, CASA, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and more. Constance’s acute interest in investments produced profits she shared with family, friends, and community.

Fulfilling their promise, Connie and Fred traveled the world!  They visited most continents, taking in the historical, natural and cultural features, and enjoying the local arts and cuisine.  At home, Connie decorated with her collections of curiosities, filling her homes with art, décor and a unique style, where she generously entertained family and friends. In her final years, Constance collected Western Art.  For decades, she cherished time at her cabin near Allenspark. 

Connie is survived by her daughters, Jennifer Platt, and Rebecca Pepin, grandchildren, son in law, nieces, nephews, and her dog, Clyde.  She is pre-deceased by her beloved Fred Platt, 2022.  Connie was engaged with family, community and friends to the end, with foreign travel on her calendar, and upon her passing, she left a well read book collection!  A memorial is planned for August.