Connie Greer was a luminary and total original and yet didn't want an obituary. She said it would be redundant. We disagreed. She unwillingly acquiesced with one stipulation: "No flowery language! I hate that!" After learning that her cancer had metastasized and she was going to die, she shed no tears and said calmly, "That's the way it's supposed to be. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." She left the world with a giant smile on her face – literally — at her home, eight days later on March 24th, 2021. Such was her smile that her beloved daughter-in-law Colleen poignantly observed, "Connie Greer has had the last laugh."

This schoolteacher extraordinaire and head docent and beloved board member of the New Holland Historical Society was a complete study in contrasts; she was no nonsense with a cut and dry sensibility who also possessed a magnetic joie de vivre that was un-matched. ONE COULD NOT DIM HER LIGHT. She ended absolutely every conversation with an upbeat, "Righto!" Fiercely independent and strong, she was known in her community for being open-minded, straightforward and fair. She had no time for dishonesty.

Connie was the grounding force of the Greer family and a beacon for her children, Sarah and Jonathan. Wildly funny with a dry wit, Connie loved to laugh with her friends and her beloved sister, Sibby. She was also an eloquent letter writer and taught her kids the power of the pen. She believed that everybody was connected, and nobody was inaccessible.

An inspiring educator, Connie held a Master's degree and inspired countless children to love learning. She graduated from Millersville Teacher's College on January 20, 1959 and stepped into her first 6th grade classroom the very next day! So many of those students in that first class (and throughout her career) later became her cherished, lifelong friends.

She loved people with a passion, as well as dinner parties, balloons, a strong cup of black coffee, hanging laundry on the line, playing bridge, traveling abroad, driving her convertible VW bug across the Amish countryside and reading books. She was a voracious reader and longtime member of two book clubs and would say to anyone who would listen, "Remember. Books are your friends."

Her favorite place on earth was Colonial Williamsburg. She even built her home (together with her late husband, John) to resemble a house on Duke of Gloucester Street, complete with a giant hearth in her kitchen. She loved entertaining and serving dinner to her nearest and dearest in her dining room by candlelight.

It must also be said that Connie Greer was obsessed with the weather and with everyone's safety and would not drive unless your seatbelt was fastened.

At the end of her life, her three greatest loves were her dog, Benji, her beloved granddaughter, Lillian – and the New Holland Historical Society. In Connie's memory, donations can be made to: New Holland Historical Society, PO Box 464, New Holland, PA 17557.

Connie used to sing Doris Day's song to her children: "I love you, a bushel and a peck." And we all know that she felt that way about New Holland, her friends and her life.

A celebration of Connie, to take place on Sunday, October 10, 2021 in honor of her October 11th birthday, will be announced.