OBITUARY: Long-Time City of Rockledge Employee Connie Davis Passes Away After an Extended Illness

Connie worked in the Finance Division at the City of Rockledge

BREVARD COUNTY • ROCKLEDGE, FLORIDA – On July 20, 2021, I lost a friend. Connie Davis, a co-worker for approximately 15 years, has passed away after an extended illness. Connie and I worked for the City of Rockledge until we both retired.

She worked in the Finance Division for many years and was the first Human Resources Coordinator. Connie retired about five years before me, but the time we spent working side by side on many projects was special.

Most of us have people we enjoy working with. Connie fell into that category for me. We had a lot of fun on the job. One project we worked on together comes to mind – the annual City of Rockledge Golf Tournament. It epitomizes the type of person Connie was.

Connie was the Tournament Chairman and ran the show. I had the good fortune to work very closely with her on these tournaments for several years.

We all worked hard to secure sponsors, but no one did it better than Connie. She was relentless! And she was like a little kid. Connie would get so excited when we got a sponsor. She would come running down the hall to my office or run right into the city manager’s office and give him the good news.

The reason Connie would get so excited about sponsors is that she understood that every dollar raised was going to charity. She was all about giving back.

When the day of the tournament rolled around, Connie worked hard to make certain everything was as it should be, and then it was time to play golf. She may not have been on the winning team, but I can guarantee you that no one had more fun on the course than she did.

Connie and I worked on much more than golf tournaments, but I probably never had more fun at work than during those times.

Former Rockledge City Manager Jim McKnight also worked closely with Connie on the golf tournaments. McKnight said, “The City and the community will always be indebted to Connie for her above and beyond work on the Charity Golf Tournament every year.”

He went on to say, “Literally hundreds of thousands of dollars were donated to multiple non-profits through the years, and much of the credit goes to Connie.”

Connie was exceptionally good at her job and was a true professional.

As city manager, McKnight was responsible for hiring new employees. He had this to say about Connie in her Human Resources position, “She had a way of evaluating staff hires that was very intuitive.” He continued, “Connie encouraged me to look deeper, and in doing so recognized the quality of the individual.”

When Connie retired, Corey Harris was selected as the new Human Resources Coordinator. The two worked side by side during the transition. It did not take Harris long to learn that, as she put it, “she really did care about the employees and had a heart of gold.”

She added, “Even after she retired, she was always there to take my calls and answer my questions.”
Harris said with a chuckle, “I will probably remember her most for her laugh and keeping all the guys straight!”

Even though I did not see Connie very often after retirement, I would think of her from time to time. And when I did, I would always smile.

I consider myself fortunate to have worked with Connie. I know she made me a better employee and I like to think she made me a better person. For that, I thank you, Connie Davis. You will always be my friend.

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