CONTINENTAL – Constance Ann Verhoff (Horstman), 100, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother, passed peacefully into eternity on February 16, 2023 in her home, surrounded by her loving family. Connie was born in Glandorf, Ohio, to Frank Horstman and Emma Schroeder Horstman on May 10, 1922. She grew up in Glandorf, Ohio, the youngest of seven children, all of whom preceded her in death. She graduated from Glandorf High School in 1940.
Connie met her husband, Raymond “Ray” Verhoff of Continental, Ohio in 1940. They were married in Trenton, New Jersey, on February 26, 1944 just as Ray was preparing to leave for Europe with the United States Army. While Ray served his country during WW II, Connie kept the home fires burning in Glandorf and worked at the Courthouse in Ottawa, Ohio.
When Ray returned home after the war in 1945, the couple made their home in Glandorf, and then finally settled on a farm in 1953 in Cuba, Ohio. The couple had a loving and companionable marriage. They shared a lot of hard work, but also shared plenty of good times and laughter, and always made time for weekly date nights. Theirs was a true love story that never ended, even when Ray passed away on September 1, 1981. Connie continued to live in their family home for the rest of her life.
Together Ray and Connie had twelve children – five sons and seven daughters. Dorothy, the eldest daughter, passed away in 2000. Connie is survived by her other children: Dave (Janet) Verhoff, Lima, Ohio; Judy (Jerry) Carlson, Ft. Myers, Florida; Denny (Jeanette) Verhoff, Continental, Ohio; Don (Linda) Verhoff, Miller City, Ohio; Linda (Chuck) Craig, Stow, Ohio; Margie Fulkert, Ft. Myers, Florida; Darwin (Pam) Verhoff, Continental, Ohio; Kathy (Paul) Sodoma, Leland, North Carolina; Albert (Maria) Verhoff, Kalida, Ohio; Annette (Bill) Miller, Eden Prairie, Minnesota; and Pam (Tim) Oyer, Findlay, Ohio.
Connie is also survived by 33 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren.
Connie was a true matriarch and an incredibly strong and capable woman, unflappable in the face of any circumstance. She was also loving, accepting and welcoming, warm and generous, and always, always, a lot of fun. She made in-laws feel like family. Her door was always open to family and friends. She excelled at forming and keeping relationships with extended family, neighbors, and friends.
Connie was an excellent cook and showed her love through the years by consistently hosting family gatherings and serving up delicious food. Her homemade applesauce and butter noodles have been called the glue that held the family together. She has served as a role model for generations.
She loved to garden, read, put together puzzles, play cards, and socialize. She had a quick wit, a ready smile, and an easy laugh. Connie was a lifelong Catholic and a member of St.Isadore’s Church.
Connie is simply irreplaceable. She is much beloved and leaves behind an incredible legacy of family that honors, admires, and deeply loves and misses her.
Funeral Mass will begin at 10:30 a.m., Monday, February 20, 2023 at St. Michael Catholic Church, Kalida with Fr. Nathan Bockrath officiating. Burial will follow at St. Isadore Cemetery, Cuba. Visitation will be held from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday at LOVE FUNERAL HOME, Ottawa.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial donation in Connie’s memory to Putnam County Homecare and Hospice, Nationwide Children’s Hospital or the American Heart Association. Condolences may be expressed at www.lovefuneralhome.com
