Constance "Connie" Oberembt

Constance “Connie” Oberembt, age 76, passed away on November 17, 2021, after five years navigating dialysis and suffering a terrible fall in October.  She was born on October 22, 1945, in Mitchell, South Dakota, to Vern and Mildred Merriman and was the oldest of two children.  She grew up as a Kernel and had fond memories of twirling baton and working as a guide at the Corn Palace.  Even in recent years, Connie loved to return to the Corn Palace, and always had to buy popcorn balls there, getting enough to share with her grandchildren.  Connie attended Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, majoring in English Language Arts Education and Theater.  She competed in pageants, and one of her favorite performances was singing a song from Sound of Music.

Connie dated Allan Oberembt while in college, and they married the summer after she graduated from Dakota Wesleyan.  Allan was finishing up his degree at Black Hills State University, and they moved to Spearfish, where she began her career as a high school English teacher.  Eventually, they moved to Grand Forks, where she earned her Master’s Degree in Communication from UND.  During her time in Grand Forks, she continued her teaching career at Grand Forks Central High School, with a classroom next to “crazy” world language colleagues, who would become lifelong friends.  She also directed theater, which was a lifelong passion.  Her only child, Cassandra, was born in Grand Forks, and when she and Allan moved to Fargo, Connie began work as a senior lecturer at North Dakota State University teaching courses in the Communication Department.  Her favorite course to teach was Business and Professional Speaking, and she co-authored a book with colleagues.  She finished her career teaching communication courses at Minnesota State Technical College (Moorhead). 

Connie was very proud of her family.  She and Allan loved to travel, and she instilled that love of exploring new places in her daughter and grandchildren.  Connie took great joy in being involved in her daughter’s school activities as she was growing up, joining the PTA, volunteering at the school, hosting parties for her daughter and her friends, and starting after school programs to help elementary students develop speech writing skills.  This joy transferred to her three grandchildren, and she rarely missed an event they were in; she happily attended a theater performance of two of her grandchildren just a week before her accident.  Connie also loved her dog, Scarlett, a toy poodle. 

Connie is survived by her husband, Allan Oberembt, her daughter, Cassandra (Jason) Glynn, three grandchildren, Max, Henry, and Annabelle Glynn, and her brother, Jerry (Deby) Merriman.  She is preceded in death by her parents, Vern and Mildred Merriman.  Her family would like to thank Davita in Fargo for the kindness they showed Connie over the past five years and acknowledge the role they played in making her time at dialysis as positive as possible; they would also like to thank Hospice for helping Connie to pass peacefully.

Celebration of Life:    2 pm Monday, November 22, 2021, in West Funeral Home, West Fargo, with Visitation held one hour prior to her service.

Burial:  Servicemen's Memorial Park, Mitchell, SD

West Funeral Home & Life Tribute Center

            westfuneralhome.com

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