Constance Harlow

Constance “Coni” Wauneda Harlow, aka “Grandma Bunny,” was born in Portland to Conrad Weber and Wauneda June Saunders. In her early years, her parents went their separate ways, leaving Coni with her mother.

Her mother remarried and, due to military transfers, Coni went to live with her grandparents, Milton and Glorane Saunders, in Multnomah. Coni loved those early years, especially holidays.

Holidays were gathering times, when relatives would laugh, eat, sing, play games and have an occasional pony ride. As with many children, Coni loved a parade — bands, floats and all of the performers.

Parade passion continued to grow as she participated in the Junior Rose Parade by building floats and hopping down the parade route in her Grandma Bunny costume.

Coni started high school at St. Mary’s Boarding School, but graduated from Washington High School in 1949. High school years were full of music, dance, sports, education and boys! At Washington, Coni met Joseph (Joe) Graziano.

Coni started college, but the allure of marriage brought Coni and Joe back together. In 1950, they were married. The marriage lasted 11 years, during which time they had seven children before a divorce separated them.

Corralling seven young energetic kids was not for the faint-hearted. There were the normal daily activities of feeding, cleaning, dressing, laundry, yard work, dogs, ducks and rabbits that she managed.

And then the un-normal surprises — fire in the oven, hot irons left on the floor, flooded bathrooms and shooting a flare gun off in the house. (Yes, we all made it out alive.) To preserve the house, she would encourage outdoor activities; fishing, swimming, boating, hikes and lots of beach trips.

In 1967, Coni’s journey in life took her across Fremont Street in Portland to Margaret Lapray’s home, carrying her cigarettes and alcoholic drinks. (Wouldn’t you leave the house, smoke, and have drinks if you had those seven little angels?)

The Laprays were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, with no ashtrays. So, Coni’s next visit to the Laprays she brought her own ashtray. Margaret and Coni’s friendship grew into a lasting sisterhood. Coni joined the LDS faith in 1970, changing her life’s direction forever (without alcohol or the ashtray).

Coni was a stay-at-home-mother for many years, until economic conditions (or perhaps sheer exhaustion from cloth diaper changing and washing) launched her professional career with Wallace Floor Covering.

During her tenure with Wallace, Coni’s creative eye was very successful in matching customer’s goals with design options, earning her many awards.

Her talents were not limited to interior design, but extended into drawing, oil painting, book illustration, cooking, gardening, knitting, crocheting, needle pointing, personalized cards and T-shirts and poetry. You can also add flight lessons and parachute jumping to her accomplishments.

One customer from Wallace was William (Bill) Harlow. Bill was so impressed with her, that sometime after completing his home, he asked her out for a date. Coni accepted, which started a 12-year love story from 1975 to 1987, before Bill’s passing.

Their interests included fishing, hunting, gardening, travel, dancing and golfing. They were also snowbirds. When winter hit Oregon they were off to Indio, California, to meet friends and go golfing in the sun for six months.

In 1989, Coni married Ron Miller and established their home in Seaside. She enjoyed walks on beach and meeting other beachcombers. One such couple was a newlywed Mennonite couple from Missouri. They became lifelong pen pals for over 30 years.

Bird watching became one of her greatest pleasures. On the sandy beaches, she became an excellent clam digger with her trusted clam gun. The beach was also where Grandma Bunny would attract and spoil her grandchildren with treats, card games, trips to the aquarium and arcades.

As her legs slowed down, she would walk to the top of the steps leading down to the beach. There the older grandkids would carry her down to the beach to watch them play beach games, fly kites and gather around a warm fire.

She also enjoyed entertaining guests, and regularly attended the annual North Coast Iron Chef event at the Graziano Foodservice table.

Coni formed special friendships. One was Ruth Baum. Coni wrote of Ruth in her journal, “Good friends, like tiny sand dollars, are hard to find.” Seaside was paradise on Earth for Coni.

Gordon Nicholls would be Coni’s last sweetheart. Together they were like “peas and carrots.” One without the other would not be right. Walking in the evening of life, they held each other’s hands until 2010, with Gordon’s passing.

To summarize: Grandma Bunny lived a bright and bold life. She was not perfect, learned from mistakes, asked for forgiveness, gave forgiveness, and was courageous enough to take life’s next step. She hopes the same for all her posterity.

If she had a personal motto it would be: “Love is what it’s all about.” She leaves each of us with this thought, “I’ll love you until the twelfth of never, and that’s a long, long time.” — Johnny Mathis, “The Twelfth of Never.” Please find time to listen to it in its entirety.

Coni is survived by her children, Mary Jo Graziano (Shannon Alfonso), Madeline (Mike) Collins, Joseph (Hannah) Graziano, Rick Graziano, Christopher (Laurie) Graziano, Dominic (Janet) Graziano and Terri (Vern) Jorgensen; as well as 28 grandchildren; 43 great-grandchildren; her sisters, Sandra Dunn and Sharon Jones (Dean Stanovich); and brother, Dean Jones.

Coni’s temporal body will be laid to rest at Willamette National Cemetery next to her beloved Bill, while her spirit has returned to paradise.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to South County Community Food Bank.

From Coni to all of Seaside: Thank you, city of Seaside, utility department, post office, manager and workers all; Bob Chisholm Community Center; Ken’s Market (now Hamilton Market); Safeway; understanding people, no names, big hearts; neighbors; church; each and everyone for making my life remarkable … one of smiles, tears of joy and love, always.

I’m grateful to know that time hasn’t changed the spirit of Seaside … a special place on Earth. Again, thank you — Coni “Grandma Bunny”