Constance Irene (Yetter) Schlosser

Constance Irene Schlosser
November 29, 1931 - July 30, 2024

Constance Irene Schlosser, a 58-year resident of Whetstone, passed away at home on July 30, 2024 with family at her side.

She was 92.

Born November 29, 1931 to Ernest and Mildred Yetter of Vickery, Ohio, Connie was raised on the Yetter family farm. The fifth of six children, she shared fond memories of a childhood that brimmed with the joys of farm life, her close-knit family and a strong Lutheran faith.

In 1950 Connie met her future husband, Leo L. Schlosser, at a barn dance near her home. A North Dakota native, he was a soldier in the United States Army about to be deployed to Korea when they met. The two continued a long-distance friendship by corresponding through letters and were married in 1953.

As a military wife, Connie's life was filled with frequent moves all over the country and world, wherever Army life took the family. From Ohio, those travels included Japan, Kentucky, Pakistan, Georgia and Germany. In 1966 Leo was assigned to Fort Huachuca, Arizona which marked the family's final move. They built a life in Whetstone, where Connie lived for 58 years.

Regardless of where she called home, Connie raised five children across several states and countries with an unflinching cheerfulness and adventurous spirit. She had a passion for exploring different cultures and traditions and taught her children the importance of respecting the beliefs of others. With all five children born in different locations - Ohio, Japan, Kentucky, Pakistan and Germany - she would joke about the joys of raising an "international family."

Before marriage, Connie attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio where she majored in education. Despite the challenges of frequent moves, she taught school whenever possible and was a substitute teacher for Tombstone Unified School District, of which 38 years were at Huachuca City School. In addition to a teaching career that spanned more than 40 years, Connie volunteered as a 4-H leader where she worked with young people enrolled in the cooking, sewing and dog projects. From horse and dog shows to motocross racing, bowling and gardening, Connie always supported her children's wide range of interests, placing them ahead of her own.

She enjoyed gardening and transformed her front yard into a desert landscape filled with native flowering plants that attracted birds and other wildlife. She was particularly fond of hummingbirds and quail, her outdoor spaces dotted with hummingbird feeders, bird houses and inviting water features.

An avid University of Arizona basketball fan, Connie had adopted the Wildcats as "her team" and looked forward to college basketball every year. She also loved traveling, exploring the great outdoors and visiting national parks all over the country.

She will be remembered for her kind spirit and compassion for others.

Connie is preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, CSM Leo Schlosser, son Richard Leo Schlosser, parents Ernest and Mildred Yetter, brother Ernest Yetter and his wife Lillian, sister Ruth Otto and her husband Melvin, sister Shirley Duquette, and twin sister Carol Oney and her husband Don.

She is survived by her children Dana Cole (Rick Shelley), Cheryl Capotosto (John), Ken Schlosser, Kathy Atkinson (Hal), grandchildren Rikki Marie Anderson and Joe Schlosser and great-grandson Vance Anderson-Cekolovich. She is also survived by her sister Kathy Damschroder (Galen) and numerous nieces and nephews in Ohio, North Dakota and across the U.S.

There will be a funeral service at Sierra Evangelical Lutheran Church, 101 N. Lenzner Ave., Sierra Vista on Aug. 17, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a reception at the church fellowship hall. A private family service will be held at the old cemetery on Fort Huachuca at a later date.

Donations in Connie's memory can be made to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sierra Vista, 1746 Paseo San Luis, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635, or to a favorite Sierra Vista charity.

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