Connie Louise Spaulding

On March 14, 2026, it was a warm Saturday morning when the skies broke open and the sun shone down and our beloved Connie Louise Spaulding left her earthly body and her soul rose up and entered the Kingdom's Gate of Heavenly peace and eternal rest. Born on May 26, 1942, Connie was 83 and as spry as any person could be. Connie was a long time resident of Bakersfield, CA, although her hometown was Des Moines/Pleasant Hill, Iowa. Born to parents John and Vera Berger in Iowa City, Iowa, both preceded her in death. She is survived by one daughter Penny Ann Thompson, and one granddaughter Veronica A. Thompson, brother Eugene Davis, and paternal half siblings Bill Berger, Brenda Flowers, John Berger, Frank Berger, and Joann Pack. She is preceded in death by brother Mick Berger and step fathers C. Davis and A. Dale Baile. She was beautifully blessed by all of their families and extended families. A special mention goes out to her nieces and nephews who were a special part of her life.
Connie could be defined as being the ancestral elder tree. Her crown of limbs and leaves represent her family and extended family; they were the beauty, the meaning and the most significant part of her being. The trunk represented her; mighty and sturdy and her roots are where she planted the seeds of her friendships where she grew her friends like flowers, that circled that tree like bouquets. Her friends were also deeply important to her. She was a driven career woman her entire life, starting as a car hop with bobby socks and roller skates to her last position as office manager at American Yeast. She had few jobs, each were long term. Connie was outgoing, spontaneous, adventurous, and she was always up for anything. She enjoyed her travels; her two favorite destinations were going back to her hometown in Iowa to visit her family and friends and spending a weekend at Ventura beach with her two girls and as her final last request, she will be spread out over the Ventura ocean.
To know Connie is to know that she was everything 50's and Elvis. She was the epitome of the 1950's. She was quite the dancer and she loved sock hops. She loved to dine out, have her hair salon days on Wednesdays, go to the movies, and she always loved a good card or poker game. You name it, she did it. Connie was a woman of strong faith and conviction. She attended a local community church. She was always there to lend a hand to those in need, whether it be the homeless, to Alzheimer's research, to a friend, family, her heart was always in a good place. Her birth name was Constance, but she was not very fond of it, although it was the most fitting name anyone could have given her because she was always consistent in everything she did. She was loyal, courageous, strong, trustworthy, confident, and her best attribute was you could always count on her. She would never fail you. She was one of the only people that still read the morning newspaper, in print, and would fall asleep in her big chair at night with one hand in the cheetos bag, and one cheeto hanging out of her mouth. She was known as the sunshine lady and had many other nicknames. She would spread cheer, loved giving out greeting cards for many occasions, and the holidays were deeply and profoundly meaningful to her. These will be the most difficult days of the year for us who are left here.
Godspeed Connie, you have now entered the next journey of your eternal life. You made a deep impact on our lives and you will be missed more than you will know.
Connie passed away suddenly at home from sudden heart failure. A celebration of life will be announced at a future date.