On Wednesday, December 20, 2023, Charlotte Constance Page Gutowsky (aka Connie), loving wife, mother of three children, and grandmother of five passed away at the age of 87, in Kirkland, WA. Connie was born on February 17, 1936, in Slinger, WI to Donald Lyman Page and Albertina Anna Magdeleine Bergfeld. Connie attended the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where she met and later married Franklin John Gutowsky on January 26, 1958. They were married for 64 years. They raised three children, a son Jeffery, and two daughters Karen and Lynda.
Connie had a passion for her faith in Jesus, decorating, gardening, genealogy, playing the piano, reading, beauty, and beach combing. She attended a one-room schoolhouse in Barrington, Illinois, crossing the frozen Honey Lake to get to school. She was a cheerleader and friend of many at Barrington High School. After graduating she attended secretarial school downtown Chicago. Later she attended the University of Illinois, joining the Kappa Gamma Delta Sorority. She met Frank where he serenaded her, becoming pinned, engaged, and then married.
Connie devoted her life to homemaking, where she excelled in decorating her homes in Arlington Heights, Illinois. She was active in church ministries both at St Peter’s Lutheran Church as a Stephen’s minister and later at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights, IL volunteering for women’s groups and PADS ministry feeding those in need. She was dedicated to Al Anon and Coda (Co Dependent Anonymous), sponsoring many women over the years on their journey to healing pains and wounds that bind them. She was a descendent of the Mayflower and during her days of researching her family heritage she became part of DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). She was a fierce advocate during the Women’s Liberation Movement. Connie worked for 20 years for District 214 at Rolling Meadows High School as the Office Administrator for the Audio-Visual Department.
Connie spent many days sailing the shores of Lake Michigan, both in Chicago, IL, and Holland MI, with her husband Frank. She even won the Lady’s Skipper race at the Chicago Yacht Club. In her senior years Connie and Frank would spend weeks in the winter in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, where she spent countless hours beach-combing the Gulf of Mexico. When it became too difficult to sail and travel Connie loved her backyard patio adorned with potted flower plants where she enjoyed conversations with neighbors, family, and friends. Connie was known for her devout faith, loyalty to her family and friends, ability to converse and listen to others, decorate, read, make order out of disorder, garden, love of sunshine and water, her beautiful smile and incredibly thick hair. Connie spent her entire life in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, until the last three years when she moved to Seattle, WA to be near her daughters and their family. She will forever be remembered for her curiosity “Grandmanet”, pearls of wisdom, faith, and sense of humor.
Connie was preceded in death by her parents Don, Charlie (stepfather) and Madge, her husband, Frank and survived by her three children Jeff, Karen, and Lynda and five grandchildren, Jonelle, Johnny, Emily, Rachel, and Sam, in-laws Joan and Bill, and extended family.
Her remains will rest with her mother and husband at Acacia Park Cemetery, Norridge IL.
The post first appeared on Barton Family Funeral Service.