Constance Barbara Ortolani, 78, passed away on September 22, 2026, surrounded by her family and near her longtime home of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Connie was a teacher, dancer, mother, sister and friend. She was committed to her communities, dedicated to helping others, and a devoted Boston sports fan.

Connie was born in the Back Bay Fens neighborhood of Boston, Mass., to Nicholas Rassias, a bartender and postal worker, and Christine Rassias, a hairdresser. Her family later moved to the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. Her brother Peter loved baseball and his big sister, but at the age of 11, he passed away from leukemia. Connie honored his spirit throughout her life by supporting the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Connie was a third-generation Greek American and was raised with a strong Greek tradition, including attending Hellenic school. Every year, she liked to attend Portland’s Greek festival for the mousaka, koulourakia cookies and, of course, the dancing.

As a young woman, Connie excelled at school and athletics, especially dance. She performed in the Nutcracker, cast as “one of the boys” because she was tall. A straight-A student, she attended Boston State College and received a Bachelor of Science in elementary education. Early in her career, she taught gym and health at Copley Square High School.

During college, Connie worked at an Anderson-Little clothing store. There, she met Philip Ortolani. For one of their first dates, they went to a Bruins game, where Connie fell in love with another Boston sports team, and also Philip. They got married in 1971, moved to Randolph, Mass., and started a family, having two children, Nikki and Alex.

In 1982, Philip was considering a job in southern Maine and brought Connie to see the Pine Tree State. Her response was lukewarm. Connie always called herself a ‘Boston Girl,’ but she soon came to love Maine—its coastline, its birds, its lobster rolls, and its people.

She began teaching at local schools while also working as a dance instructor. In 1991, she got a master’s degree in special education from the University of Southern Maine with a near-perfect GPA.

Connie went on to teach at Hall School and later Lincoln Middle School, where she was known as a dedicated teacher with a talent for getting her kids to engage in lessons and respond to her. In the mid-2000s, she started working for Even Start, a literacy and education program to help families break out of poverty. She became a program director and child education specialist, further deepening her bonds with the local community and other educators. Her mother, Christine, also eventually moved to the area, allowing Connie and her family to be close to Christine in her final years.

After retiring, Connie took on volunteering. Some of it was formal, such as becoming a regular volunteer at soup kitchens and Reiche School, often working with children who were just starting to learn English. Some volunteering was informal, such as delivering a meal to a family or connecting them with a local furniture charity. Of this volunteering, she would always say that she “got back more than she gave.”

In 2015, Connie and her family were struck by tragedy. A car ran off the road and took Philip’s life, while injuring Connie. She stayed close to Philip by taking frequent trips to Fort Williams, where they loved to walk, and by hanging hearts around her home to keep him close.

Despite her loss, Connie went on to build an active life. In the mornings, she would often attend a dance, Zumba, or gym class, and then volunteer in the afternoon at a school or with the Wayside Food Programs. In the evenings and weekends, she’d often connect with a much-loved group of friends in the Portland area. They would go to plays, dance in Congress Square, and explore new restaurants. In her neighborhood, she’d go on “walk and talks,” where she always said she ended up doing more talking than walking. In these ways, she shared her spirit and love for life despite its hardships, and took solace in the strength and endurance of others.

She also hosted her children in Maine and took frequent trips to New York City to visit them, go to Broadway shows and museums, and attend holiday gatherings. She reveled in her role as grandmother to her grandson, Enzo, including taking him on a trip to Universal Studios and to basketball games in Brooklyn. In her final year, her daughter Nikki moved up to Maine, bringing Connie great happiness and comfort.

Even after being diagnosed with glioblastoma in June, Connie carried a smile on her face and always had a word of kindness or gratitude. She constantly said how lucky she was.

Connie is survived by her daughter, Nikki Ortolani of South Portland, son Alex Ortolani, daughter-in-law Kate, and grandson Enzo of Brooklyn; and cousins Arthur and his wife Judy Carakatsane of Portsmouth, N.H., Michael and wife Pam Carakatsane of Lynnfield, Mass., and Bill and wife Sharon Carakatsane of Lowell, Mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute danafarber.jimmyfund.org or Wayside Food Programs https://www.waysidemaine.org/home