Connie Geide

Connie Geide, 93 of Hartford, went to heaven on August 2, 2019 at her home surrounded by her family. Funeral Services will be at 10:30 am Saturday, August 10, 2019 at Trinity Lutheran Church, rural Hartford. Visitation will be from 5-7 pm Friday, August 9, 2019 at the church with a prayer service at 7:00 pm.  Arrangements by Hofmeister Jones Funeral Home, Parker.

Cornelia (Connie) Rose Geide, daughter of Louis and Alvina (Engelbrecht) Huebschman, was born on January 24, 1926 on the family farm in Evanston, Indiana. Connie was baptized, confirmed and married at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Evanston, IN with her confirmation verse being Psalm 27:4.  She graduated from Troy High School in 1943 as valedictorian of her class. When she was 18 with a suitcase in hand, her parents sent her on a bus to downtown Chicago, from there she took the elevated train to Oak Park and then walked from there to attend Concordia Teachers College at River Forest, IL. She attended college for 2 years before WWII started. Due to the war, the college students were sent out to teach. She taught parochial school in Germantown, IA, Wauwatosa, WI, and Leavenworth, KS. She received her 3 year teaching degree by attending summer schools graduating August 7, 1952.

After a 7 year long courtship through mail, Connie married Earle Robert Geide at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Evanston, IN on June 20, 1953 and has resided in rural Hartford ever since.

Following their marriage, Connie taught public school in Colton for one year. Then, Connie became a full-time homemaker. Maintaining their home and caring for her family was her labor of love. She loved planting/harvesting her large garden. She liked to can her own produce and was known for her dill pickles. She enjoyed entertaining and making delicious home-cooked meals for family and friends. Twice a day, Connie would be picking and washing eggs from their flock of 1600 chickens. She was the taskmaster when it came to walking the bean fields and picking rock. In her free time, Connie loved to read, bake, sew, playing cards, and doing jigsaw puzzles with Earle.

Connie has been an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church where she taught Sunday School, Saturday Instruction Classes, and held various positions in LWML (the church women’s group). In addition, she was a charter member and past president of the Cinderella Home Extension Club.

With Earle being a commercial pilot, Connie has spent over 2000 hours as his navigator. Earle and Connie have been supportive members of the Flying Farmer Organization since 1954. Connie was crowned queen in 1972 & 2003, SD FF&R Woman of the Year in 1991-1992 and also served as historian. Additionally, Connie was awarded The Wright Brother’s “Master Pilot” Spouse Award in August of 2011 from the South Dakota Pilots Association. Their involvement with the International Flying Farmer & Rancher organization gave them the opportunity to attend conventions and workshops across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Their most notable trip was to Costa Rica with a stop in Guatemala where they experienced a 7.2 earthquake on February 4, 1976.

Grateful for having shared her life are her husband of 66 years, Earle; her two children, Orrin Geide of Hartford, and Joy (Rod) Hohn of Hartford; two grandchildren, Noah and Camille Hohn of Hartford; sisters-in-law, Jean Gregerson, Bolder, CO, and Donna Rae (George) Vogt, Groveland, FL; numerous nieces, nephews, and her special friend from Comfort Keepers, Sandy Holzemer (Connie referred to her as her 2nd daughter).

She is preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Alvina Huebschman; sisters Ethel Mulzer and Erma Berbaum; brothers Norman, Edgar, and Eugene Huebschman; parents-in-law, Felix and Ella Geide; and sisters-in-law Ruth Arends and Lila Mae Anderson.