Constance "Connie" Bevins, age 88, of Mahnomen, MN, died Wednesday, March 17, 2021, at the Mahnomen Health Center Nursing Home.

Constance Louise Smith was born November 12, 1932, in White Earth, MN, the daughter of John and Evelyn (LaDoux) Smith.  She grew up in White Earth and attended the Mission School.  Following her schooling, Connie was united in marriage to Lawrence Bevins in 1950.  The couple made their home in the Detroit Lakes, MN, area and were blessed with three children.  They lived in Michigan and the Twin Cities Metro for a few years before returning to the Detroit Lakes area.  Lawrence died in 1978 and Connie moved to Moorhead, MN, for eight years before moving back to the White Earth Reservation.  Over the years, Connie worked picking potatoes and as a truck driver during the sugar beet campaign for Crystal Sugar.  She was able to reconnect with family in the area and had many years of companionship with Thomas Brown before his death in 2016.  When Connie's health began to decline, she moved to the nursing home last fall.

Low key and quite are words to describe Connie along with kindhearted, caring and generous.  She would help anyone in need and continually before herself.   She had a great sense of humor and always had a good April Fool's Joke to play!  Connie liked to watch Westerns and Game Shows on TV and play poker with her family.  She loved playing cards and going to the casino.  She will be remembered by all who knew and loved her.

Connie is survived by two daughters, Barbara (James) Kent Struthers of Detroit Lakes and Stacy (Kelly) Chisholm of Gary, MN; four grandchildren: Ed (Pam) Kent, Leslie (Kelly) Kent, Nicole Kent and Jody Kent; 10 great grandchildren: Alexander, Abby, Kiana, James, Anthony, Alanis, Carissa, Leah, Chandler, and Elayna; one brother, Leonard (Mary) Smith of White Earth; one sister, Edith (Jack) Chamberlain of Dearborn, MI; foster son, Jeffrey Bevins of White Earth; several nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Lawrence; son, Lawrence Jr.; special daughter, Renee Roy; five sisters: Phyllis Torgerson, Janice Morley, Patsy Roy, Evelyn Jacobs and infant, Geraldine; two brothers, Carl Smith and Dennis "Joe" Smith; son-in-law, Edward Kent Sr.

A Funeral Mass will be held Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Michael's Catholic Church, Mahnomen, MN.  Visitation will be held Wednesday, March 24, 2021 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Anderson Family Funeral Home in Mahnomen. Inurnment will be held at Calvary Cemetery in White Earth, MN.

Following all Covid-19 safety protocols, social distancing will be practiced, and all must wear a mask to participate.