Connie Nachbor

1927 - 2012

Connie Nachbor, the pretty woman with the beautiful ice blue eyes, passed away in her sleep on March 4, 2012, two days after her 85th birthday. For the past year, she had been living in a very nice residential care home in Huntington Beach. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It was not severe, but she was wheelchair bound. Her death was totally unexpected, as she was not sick or in any pain. Jo visited her almost every day and thanks her caregiver, Eric, for all he did, and Rebecca for her special care. Carly, the dog, was on her bed when she passed. Connie was born in MN. Her family moved to Long Beach when she was in middle school. She graduated from Wilson High and Long Beach State, having taken some classes at UCLA. Not knowing what she wanted to do with her degree, she "fell into" teaching, getting her first job in Crestline. In 1953, Mr. Geiger, then superintendent of LB schools, offered her a job and she took it. She "opened" two new schools, Madison and Newcomb. She especially loved Newcomb, where she taught for about 27 years. The boys loved her "little red sports car", and once hid it in the boy's restroom! Connie was a consummate teacher, winning the first Press Telegram/ Teachers Assoc. of LB Golden Apple Award. She taught English, history, drama, literature, P.E. on occasion, and with colleague Bill Woll, created a program they called the Odyssey Program at Newcomb. Connie taught the 7th graders and Bill the 8th. She pushed her students to achieve and would assign projects which would include talking to their parents and grandparents to seek information. She was often approached by parents in the grocery store to say they so enjoyed the conversations they were having with their children for a school project. She did some of her best teaching by starting with "let me tell you a story." Connie was a font of information and facts. She loved music, history (especially Civil War, WWII and English), art (especially in Impressionists), architecture, literature and sports, to name a few of her favorites. It was difficult, as many of her students found, to catch her with a wrong date of misinformation for just about anything! She was self-taught in so much of what she knew. Connie taught for American schools in Worms, Germany, for a year. She often took her class on after-school walking tours of the city, pointing out architecture, visiting churches and synagogues, wandering through cemeteries to look for dates of tragic events, and special points of interest, German foods, etc. She found that many of the army parents did not spend much time off the base, and their children knew little of the community around them. Every weekend, Connie would travel. She went to as many countries as she could, reading every bit of information in all the museums. She returned again, continuing to teach in LB. She was recommended for membership in the women educators' sorority, Delta Kappa Gamma, and was a member of the Eta chapter until her death. In 1966, Connie met Jo, and together they bought a home. Every summer they were off to see the world. They traveled extensively, covering much of it with the exception of Central and South America. The last years of travel were on the river ships and the major rivers of the world. They also went to London in December or January for 25 years. They took in the plays, the music, and the museums (revisiting "old friends" at the National Gallery every year, walked the city, took the train to outlying towns and enjoyed the cold weather. Connie was an Anglophile, knew English history and the Kings and Queens like the back of her hand. When Connie retired, she continued to sub in the school libraries until they were no longer staffed. She also volunteered at El Dorado Library, at Rancho Los Alamitos, and in the department offices of kinesiology and dance at CSULB. She loved being busy, had great organizational skills, and was quick getting things done. After retiring from Newcomb School, she continued to read to the lower classes once a week for years. The kids called her the "Book Lady". (Years earlier, she was known as the "Bear Lady"... another story.) She taught books, not just read them, and always chose books with a lesson to be learned. She later donated her extensive library of children's books to LB Memorial Children's Hospital. Connie was always busy. She loved to garden, read (especially English mysteries), was never without one of her hand-held games of poker, solitaire or black jack. She loved watching movies, especially the old ones, and was a movie buff. She never missed watching the Academy Awards, until this last year. Connie was preceded in death by her parents, John and Lucille, and her brother, Dean. She had a niece Debby and two nephews, Steven and Mark, and a sister-in-law, Sylvia, in MN. To those who knew her, you know how quiet she could be. She was never one for "small talk", but she was great at remembering names and family members of her former students and friends. She was genuinely interested in what people did. She was a great listener and observer. She is survived by her partner of 45 years, Jo Redmon, and an "almost nephew" Karl Schlaich. Her "Birthday Group", Sara Forster, Nancy Henry, and Miep van Tyne, were close friends. For those who asked about a memorial service, she made Jo promise not to have one. For those who want to remember her in some way, it is suggested that you give to your favorite charity in her name, or to Rancho Los Alamitos, the LB Animal Shelter, El Dorado Library, Newcomb Academy or CSULB. To Connie's students, know that she really cared for all of you! To those who have sent cards and condolences, thank you. She was a very special lady and is greatly missed. Please sign the guestbook
at www.presstelegram.com/obits.