Connie Gage

Connie Gage, 73, of Holiday Lake in Brooklyn, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Per the wishes of Connie and her family, cremation rites have been accorded. A memorial service will take place on Friday, March 3 at 11:00 A.M. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home with Pastor Dorothy Banzhaf officiating. There will be a visitation one hour prior, beginning at 10:00 A.M. For online condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. Ph. 641-844-1234.

Born March 15, 1949 in Marshalltown, Iowa, she was the daughter of Mahlon “Bud” and Doris (Zink) Weller. She grew up attending school in Green Mountain before graduating from Marshalltown High School in 1966.

Connie was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Vernon “Vern” Gage on July 18, 1965. They made their home in Marshalltown, where they raised their family and she worked at Lennox Industries. They also had a home at Holiday Lake since 1974, where they spent as much time as possible. Connie and Vern made this their permanent home in 2001.

Connie was very involved and social. She and Vern loved country music, getting together with friends to go country western dancing, playing dominos, and Sunday nights at Zenos. She was a dedicated member of Kent Chapel Church at Holiday Lake, where she also served as secretary. A member of the Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown, Connie served as the Legion Ladies’ president for several years. On her days off, she could be found golfing at the Legion, where she got a Hole-in-One on the 18th hole. More than anything else, she was a master of all things fabric: sewing, quilting, knitting and embroidery to name a few. Connie’s hands were magical and she loved creating new and unique gifts.

Connie’s family meant the world to her. She loved having sleepovers with her grandkids, where she would teach them to play cards and sew. She was an incredible wife, mom, grandma, great-grandma, sister, aunt and friend and will be deeply missed by all those who knew and loved her.

Left to cherish her memory is her beloved husband of 57 years, Vern; her daughter Kristin Balvanz of Marshalltown; daughter-in-law Amy Gage of rural Gilman; grandchildren: Travis (Morgan Prouty) Gage of Eagle Grove, IA, Sierra (Jordan) Augspurger of Garwin, IA and Cole Balvanz (Taylor Matteson) of Marshalltown; great-grandchildren: Berklee, Hayden and Spencer; sisters: Linda (James) Hinmon, Jennifer (Brian) Johnson and Mona (Neil) Garlock; several nieces, nephews and cousins and many friends.

In eternal life, she was reunited with her son, Robb Gage and her parents, Bud and Doris Weller.