Alexander Constant Jr. lived a rather quiet life.
He went to Cape Neddick in Maine with his family regularly, something his son David remembered fondly, along with the leaky, old green Army tent they slept in. One of his favorite trips was to Lake Ontario for king salmon fishing with friends.
But after his death on Aug. 20, the reaction was anything but quiet.
Hundreds of comments across Facebook and his obituary page shared brief memories — from his time at Pitco Frialator or as a warm presence at his sons’ restaurant, Constantly Pizza. Others simply focused on how kind and generous he was throughout his life.
“I could not believe how many people responded on Facebook that know him and know of him,” David said. “I have my wife printing off all the pages just so I can have them. I just want to reread them just so I don’t forget.”
Constant made waves through the greater Concord community through his charitability. John Constant remembered his dad’s “Secret Santa” services during the holidays, showing up for people he cared about.
“He wouldn’t always tell us who it was because he kind of didn’t want people to know if he was helping somebody,” he said. “But he would always go above and beyond and make people’s Christmas just very special.”
His efforts for giving back can be traced to his upbringing. He grew up with seven siblings in the south end of Concord, his father working at an auto parts store and his mother staying at home. John and David said Constant struggled at the start of their lives while he navigated being a single father — but he never let those hard times affect their upbringing.
Constant was able to work his way up to stability. He had a long career at Pitco, starting as a sheet metal fabricator, then being promoted to floor manager, and then to plant manager. Working hard, even in tough circumstances, was a strong lesson Constant passed down to his children.
“I know life hands people all kinds of travesties, and a lot of bad things happen every day. But just never lose focus on what you want and stay as positive as you can, and extend that energy, that good energy, to other people,” David said.
Constant gave that good energy in full. He credited the Boys and Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire for giving him opportunities he wouldn’t have had to otherwise, and was a very close donor for several years. In lieu of flowers, Constant’s wish was to direct donations to the Boys and Girls Club.
Chief Executive Officer Christopher Emond described Constant as “always giving.” For auctions, Emond said, Constant would always donate an item to raffle, such as large flat-screen TVs. Boys and Girls Club staff members also enjoyed celebratory pizza parties at a discount.
“He was part of a generation that, when they came up, they really understood, ‘I came from nothing. I am going to give back. I’m going to instill that in the next generation,'” Emond said.
In 1990, Constant’s hard work and generosity extended to his sons’ business plans. He loaned them $30,000, enough to start Constantly Pizza at their first location in Tilton. Over time, they expanded, then scaled back, and now have locations in downtown Concord and in Penacook.
Constant initially helped his sons’ business with errands and bookwork, then became synonymous with the brand later in his life.
“When he retired, then he came in every day and helped us out for a few hours because he just loved being around, with the people and the community and everything,” John said.
Lorinda Constant, the youngest sibling, said she grew up in the back of the pizza shop and credited her father with giving her “a beautiful life.” She remembered how proud he was to see her graduate from college, the first in the family to do so. She spoke about how he would drive down to New York City when she lived there to bring handmade gifts.
Lorinda, who owns a wedding florist company based in Providence, Rhode Island, said her dad made sure his children never experienced the hardships he endured in his upbringing.
“[He] always wanted to make sure he took us out for a good meal, for a job well done, or that special little gift you’ve been wanting,” she said. “He was always really thoughtful about those things.”
His charitability and thoughtfulness extended to the Constantly Pizza mission. The restaurant gets an average of three to six donation requests per week from customers, nonprofits and sports teams, and tries to honor nearly every request through cash or gift cards.
John said he, David and Lorinda learned that foundation of giving back early in their lives, and hope to continue supporting people in the greater Concord area for years to come.
“We’re going to continue to do a great job for our community,” he said. “We’re going to always continue to help any kind of charity, or school, or a family, or anybody that we can help.”
