Constance Pinney

Constance Pinney, a resident of the Prescott area since 1996, died peacefully at her Prescott Valley home early Thursday (Dec. 1, 2011) after a two-month battle with cancer.
She was 69.
Constance was a certified public accountant, an author and speaker and expert witness on business and financial matters and a contributing member of the community. Family members, friends and clients will remember her as a petite, genteel, caring lady with sparkling blue eyes, and a thousand-volt smile who excelled at everything she did.
She was born Constance Forsberg on Oct. 11, 1942 in Euclid, Ohio, where she spent her younger years. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She did additional studies international studies and economics at Universidad Nacional Autonimo in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; graduate studies in microeconomics at American University in Washington, D.C.; operations training for credit unions and cooperatives; the C.U.N.A. International Certificate Program in Accounting at the School of General Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, Pa., and studies in finance, taxation and business law at Camden County Community College in New Jersey.
She married Peter Pinney in 1968, and they later divorced in 1981, after having two sons, Daniel, aged 39 and David, who passed away in 1987.
In addition to being a certified public accountant in Arizona and New Jersey, Constance was a certified forensic accountant, a certified forensic consultant, and a member of the College of Forensic Examiners International.
One of her proudest accomplishments was her service with the Peace Corps as a cooperative extension agent for the Venezuelan Ministry of Labor in San Cristobal and other communities. Earlier she had worked as an economic assistant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. She worked for Community Action Agencies in Beckley, West Virginia and Marietta, Ohio and as treasurer and auditor for the Southern New Jersey presidential campaign of George McGovern before opening her first certified public accountant practice in Haddonfield, N.J.
She moved to Tempe and continued to work as a CPA until she opened her practice in Prescott in 1996 where she served individuals, non-profit agencies, manufacturers, restaurants, taverns, medical practices and other clients throughout the state. She authored many business publications including the U.S. Small Business Administration manual on budgeting. In addition to writing, she has been a frequent speaker and presenter at financial seminars and conferences. Her ability to sort out the truth in complex financial disputes kept her in demand as a forensic fraud examiner and an expert witness in financial fraud and malfeasance litigation.
Constance was a genuine renaissance woman. In addition to her financial skills, she was a poet, guitarist, an equestrienne who owned horses and once rode in a cattle drive and a member of the Prescott Valley CASA Belles senior dance troupe.
She gave back to the community as a member of the advisory board of the Central Arizona Land Trust, the 96th Arizona Town Hall Think Tank of Leaders and to Rotary International as treasurer of District 5490, president of the Sunup Rotary Club and president of the Sunup Rotary Foundation.
From 2007 to 2011, Constance also was a member of the Prescott Valley Municipal Property Corporation, a nonprofit body that analyzes and seeks ways of financing the acquisition, construction and improvement of buildings and other physical assets for the town. She helped in winning voter approval of a $20 million bond issue in April 2008. The corporation presented her with an appreciation award this past October. She also completed the Prescott Valley Citizens Academy.
Constance was tremendously proud of her, Dan, a graduate assistant and doctoral candidate in English at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
In her final weeks she received loving care from Granite Mountain Home Care and Hospice.

Visitation:
Visitation for Constance Pinney will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at the Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home in Prescott, AZ. Cremation will follow at the Bradshaw Crematory in Prescott Valley, AZ. The family was assisted by the Arizona Wakelin Bradshaw Chapel in Prescott Valley, AZ.