On May 30, 2020 the world lost one of its kindest and most creative souls and our family lost an epic matriarch. Connie Dian Rausch was a loving mother, devoted grandmother and exactly the type of person those around her strived to be. She was born on September 30, 1944 in Fredonia, KS and left a wake of generosity and kindness behind her in the 75 years she graced this earth. She was raised throughout the Midwest with her 6 siblings and developed a compassionate nature, a resilient attitude and a love of writing at an early age. While she did not have a formal education that resulted in a degree of some type, she was a lifelong student of experience, work-ethic and people and her emotional intelligence rivaled that of anyone. She was the mother everyone wishes they had and the quintessential grandmother-everything we could hope for and much more. When one of her grandsons was asked about Grandma Connie and what he wanted the world to know about her, he simply said “She had no rules.” And while this was true for her grandkids, her children might respectfully disagree. Mom had rules, but she had a way of enforcing rules that left you feeling like she had done you a favor. She was fiercely independent and abided by the highest of standards with regard to work ethic and personal values, but never pushed her beliefs on others. She accepted everyone for who they were and what they believed in. In the words of yet another grandson, “She was always positive and never negative.” The only flaw her grandchildren could come up with was the well- documented phenomenon of cheating at Battleship. Her granddaughters said it best: “She was the most wonderful, giving, thoughtful, accepting person to ever exist. When you were unsure about something, she was the first person to push you to try. She held the balance of a caring grandparent with the vivacity of a friend. If she loved you, she loved you no matter what. It’s possible she possessed the largest vocabulary in the history of civilization and was a phenomenal story-teller. She was legendary for her “take it” stories and was even a published author. She was quick-witted and her sense of humor was incredible, but never at anyone’s expense. She was a connoisseur of SNL and had her own fair share of impersonations she would share at family events. She was also a lover of all types of music and listened to everything from
The Beatles to Jay-Z in an effort to connect with her kids and grandkids. She was a Renaissance woman and her list of accomplishments is far greater than this abbreviated snapshot of the tremendous influence she had on her community. She was the newspaper editor for three small-town newspapers (simultaneously) including the Douglass Tribune, she served as the Director of Senior Services for Butler County for many years, she helped create the first all-female volunteer firefighting
unit in Butler County and she served on the Douglass City Council. She was a true feminist without a political axe to grind. A gentle force of diplomacy-able to turn conflict into problem-solving. She had finesse and chose to see the good in everyone. She was preceded in death by her father Ed Landwehr, WWII Veteran; brother Alan Landwehr and her son Benjamin Rausch, whose death was the greatest tragedy of her life. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Ronnie Rausch of Douglass; son Mike (Suzanne) of ElDorado; son Steve of August and daughter Becky Moburg (Jason) of Kansas City; mother Ruth Landwehr of Winfield, grandchildren Stazi and Belle Rausch, Kenton and Cooper Unruh and Charlie and Emma Moburg. Those who survive her are forever in her debt for the impact she has had on their lives. The world is a better place because Connie Rausch was in it. Memorials have been established with St. James Altar Society: St. James Catholic Church, 1012 Belmont Ave., Augusta, KS 67010 or in honor of Benjamin, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org