KILLEN - Connie Sue (Bailey) Walden, 85, passed away October 9, 2026, with her daughters at her side. A Celebration of Life for both Connie and her beloved husband, Pete, will be held on Sunday, October 18 at Elkins East Chapel, 7435 Hwy. 72, Center Star, AL, 35645. The family will receive family and friends at 2:00 and the service will begin at 2:30. Internment at Greenview Memorial Park in Florence, AL, will be held on a later date.

She was born June 19, 1941, in Baldwyn, Mississippi. She grew up in Florence on Royal Avenue and has spent most of her life in Florence and Killen, Alabama. She was married for over 60 years to her beloved husband, Alvin Kelly "Pete" Walden, Jr. and was a devoted Mother to her children Beth, Deborah and Kelly, and later in life raised, adopted, and loved as her own her grandchildren Chandler and Bailey. She was a loving and devoted daughter, wife, Mother, Nana, Babushka, Gaga, mother-in-law, cousin and friend to so many. And she adored her dogs, Scruffy and Allie.

Connie is preceded by her parents, Hassel Bailey and Sula (Davis) Bailey; husband Alvin Kelly "Pete" Walden, Jr.; son Alvin Kelly Walden, III; and nephew John Murray Bailey. She is survived by her daughters, Beth Walden Britton (Rob) of Jackson's Gap, AL, and Deborah Walden (Toby Ball) of Valencia, Spain; grandchildren Robert Davis Britton (Bailey) of Chelsea, AL; Samuel Powers Britton of Dunwoody, GA; Jacob Walden Ball of Boston, MA; Sadie "Murphy" Walden Ball of Durham, NH; Chandler Lee Walden (Abby) of Rogersville, AL; and Bailey Elise Walden of Florence, AL; and great-grandchildren Breckyn Lee Walden, Aries Marcellus Walden, Athena Rebecca Walden, and Ryland Davis Britton; and brother Johnny Davis Bailey (Janet) of Killen, AL, niece Jennifer Bailey Stokes (Jeff), and grandnieces Evelynn and Gwyneth Stokes.

She was devoted to her family and loved fiercely and was such a supportive Mother and Nana, always our biggest cheerleader, and loved completely no matter what. She loved supporting her grandchildren and attending their soccer games, tennis matches, lacrosse, baseball and basketball games, Pass and Reviews, performances in plays, musicals, and band concerts, dance recitals, and art exhibits and proudly displayed their artwork. Throughout her life she was a second mother to many of her children's friends. Her house was where all the kids hung out, everyone was welcome, she had an open-door policy anytime you needed her. She was known for her cream-cheese brownies and for feeding half the neighborhood kids, and for her compassion and great hugs, for her wit and wisdom. She always checked in on others and always had time to talk.

Connie and Pete loved the Great Smoky Mountains and spending time each summer with their kids at the old cabin at Gulf Shores. She always loved spending time with her children and grandchildren: her trips to DC and New Hampshire, attending presidential inaugurations, Capitol Hill events, exploring along the coast of Maine, driving through the fall foliage in the White Mountains, and watching the snowfall. Sitting on the porch at Bear Island with her New Hampshire grandchildren and parties with her NH family and friends. Spending time with her family and friends at Lake Martin and Friendsgivings with the Dunwoody Bunch, camping with her Georgia grandchildren at Amicalola Falls and beach trips to Orange Beach. Having her Alabama grandchildren and her great-grandchildren so close and spending time with them, and she cherished her nightly “Sleepy good!” calls and texts from her Alabama grandson. And she loved spending time at "her river." Over the past several years, she would drive to Jacks for a breakfast biscuit and take it to Lock 6 in Killen to sit and watch the river for hours. It was her happy place. She loved meeting up with friends for a BBQ sandwich at the picnic tables in McFarland Park. She loved sitting with Pete on the front porch of their beloved "Big House" in Killen, and later rocking on the back porch of the "Little House" drinking iced tea, watching the birds and talking with her dear friends.

To anyone who met her, Connie was unforgettable. She was beautiful, charming, intelligent, fun, sassy, and loved life. She had such positive energy and lit up every room she entered. She brought so much joy to others. She was full of surprises and up for anything. In celebration of her 80th birthday, she got a secret tattoo with one of her daughters and granddaughter. She was a talented writer of short stories, recollections and poetry. And she was an avid reader, always with her nose in a book or her Kindle close by.

Connie worked for years at the Florence Public School system, AARP, and later in life as a lobbyist for University of North Alabama and Alabama higher education at the statehouse in Montgomery. She was a member of Killen United Methodist Church. She was guided by her faith, morals and conviction in everything she did. She was a people person and loved helping others. She had such a big heart and wanted to help make life better for so many people. Throughout her life she was an advocate for women's rights, civil rights, social justice and equality, political campaigns and issues to improve the lives of others. She was a kind, strong, respected force to be reckoned with and passionate in every way, one of a kind. She was involved in numerous civic education and political initiatives across the state and had an impact on so many. Through her legislative and political work, she affected generations and truly left a legacy. She had a host of "political friends" throughout the state and loved meeting up with a group of local women at Swampers to talk about current events and how to make the world a better place. She loved having lighthearted, spirited political debates with some of her grandsons. She was a mentor to many young people.

Connie had friends for life, especially her childhood besties Billie Faye Baker, Spencer Haddock, and Barbara Austin. She graduated Coffee High School Class of 1959 and remained close to many of her classmates. She never met a stranger and made friends everywhere she went. She had many, many close friends she met over Facebook. She loved sharing with others about her children and grandchildren and their families and her many stories and memories. She was a supportive and loyal friend, caring and thoughtful, and a confidant to many. She was always up for adventures, fun, and loved good trouble and shenanigans and parties. She loved to laugh and had a great sense of humor. She was such a genuine and kindhearted woman. She loved online Scrabble with friends near and far, and a good game of Rook.

Her family wishes to thank her longtime beloved friend and special helper, Helen Cronin, for everything she did to support and look after Connie over the last several years. And we thank Barbara and Johnny and so many others who did so much to help her, kept her busy, and checked in on her.

If so desired, in lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Alabama Forward (www.ALforward.org), Food Bank of North Alabama (foodbanknorthal.org), Friends of the Smokies (www.friendsofthesmokies.org), or a charity of your choice.