A Conversation with

A Conversation with the Lagerstrom's

Ed Spellacy

I had the pleasure of visiting with Lloyd and Connie Lagerstrom recently, with the purpose of introducing them to our “Built on the Rock”

My wife Olivia and I have known Lloyd and Connie for years through the “Mr. and Mrs. Club”, but as I gathered information about this talented couple, I realized that I could fill the entire next issue of the magazine with their many contributions of service to our SJV Parish. To put it simply- we are very fortunate to have Connie and Lloyd in our parish community for the last 39 years!

Connie grew up in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, north of Green Bay, and Lloyd is from the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield. Lloyd attended St. Norbert College near Green Bay. He and Connie met on a blind date for a Sunday picnic with Lloyd’s fraternity on the shore of Lake Michigan near Connie’s home. Several years later, they “tied the knot” with a big wedding at Lloyd’s home parish of St. John Vianney in Brookfield. As the saying goes, the rest is history, and they are still connected to St. John Vianney! (Note: Lloyd’s St. Norbert College was the site of the “Green Bay Packers” summer training camp. To say that Lloyd is a “Packers” fan is the understatement of the year!)

Lloyd received a commission in the US Air Force, and he and Connie were stationed first at Wurtsmith AFB in Michigan, where Lloyd served as a navigator in Strategic Air Command B-52’s. Lloyd’s USAF career took the family to several locations, including Beale AFB, Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, South Korea and, finally, Mather AFB, where he retired from the USAF. Lucky for us, they enjoyed the area, bought a house in Rancho Cordova, and joined St. John Vianney Parish in 1982. They have two daughters, Lissa and Luv, and four grandchildren ages fourteen through nineteen. They lost their son Leif Eric in a traffic accident in 2005.

Force life”, Connie was a manager of a hair salon in Milwaukee. After the family settled in Rancho, she opened her own salon called “Hair Movements”, which she operated until she retired in 2009. At the same time, Lloyd retired from his second career with the Franchise Tax Board. In 1999, they bought a twenty-acre property with a barn in Diamond Springs. Lloyd enjoys the physical work, and especially likes tooling around in his John Deere tractor. Soon after joining SJV Parish, Lloyd and Connie became members of the Mr. and Mrs. Club, our parish social club. Over many years, they have served in every office in the Club, and have chaired countless social functions.

Each day starts with Daily Mass (Connie drives, Lloyd walks). Let’s look at just some of their activities: Lloyd was the Finance Chair for the Festival for 28 years, and Connie was his “runner” collecting revenues from the various venues. They assist Deacon Walter with liturgical seasonal decorations inside the church. Every first Friday after the 8 AM Mass, they gather their Martha and Mary ministry team to do a thorough cleaning of the church. They also meet with Disciples on the Journey every Friday during Lent, and they are an Usher Team” at the 8 AM Mass on Sundays. Oh-and roses! Lest I forget, Connie and Lloyd tend to over 300 rose bushes around the parish grounds, including the splendid setting in Mary’s Garden. Diamond Springs note- Lloyd cuts and chips wood on their 20-acre property and creates mulch to make those roses even more healthy and beautiful! There’s more: Lloyd served many years as the Chair of the Parish Finance Council, and Connie is also active with the Caring Connections ministry.

Thank you, Lloyd and Connie for choosing Rancho Cordova and SJV to be your home. You are not only selfless volunteers, but you are fun-loving folks and great friends to all who know you. Lest I forget, these amazing parishioners are also the best couple on the dance floor at Mr. and Mrs. club functions- they have all the right moves! I will finish with a great comment from Connie: “Bottom line is: We are equally committed to getting each other to Heaven throughout our 55 years of marriage.”