Connie Marie

Gerdeman

Constance "Connie" Marie (Macke) Gerdeman, age 91, of Defiance, Ohio, was gently taken into the arms of her precious Savior Jesus Christ on Friday, November 6, 2026 at CHP Defiance Area Inpatient Hospice Center, surrounded by her loving children.

Connie is survived by her seven children: Diana (Paul) Bauer, David (Denise) Gerdeman, John Gerdeman, Michael (Kelly) Gerdeman, Dennis (Dianne) Gerdeman, Christopher Gerdeman, and Angela Gerdeman (Peter Feldmeier). Also mourning her passing are 14 grandchildren: Matthew, Kristin, Megan, Lindsay, Otto III, Benjamin, Sara, Michael, Jesslynn, Steven, Krysta, Kayla, Simon, and Ava; and 21 great-grandchildren, her brother Jerome Macke and sister Louise Teegardin, her brothers- and sisters-in-law, Merlin (Arlene) Gerdeman, Yvonne Krysztofiak, Cheryl Kohler, and Marsha Gerdeman. Preceding her in death were her beloved husband, Otto J. Gerdeman, Jr., parents and in-laws, grandparents, grandson Christopher "Kit" Gerdeman, grandson-in-law Duncan Lowne, and great-granddaughter Mila Gerdeman, and nine brothers- and sisters-in-law.

Connie was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio on July 28, 1935, the second child of the late Wilbert Joseph and Ruth Marie (Priller) Macke. She grew up in Columbus Grove, Ohio and graduated from high school there in 1953. She worked in the office of her father’s company, Putnam County Canning Co. in Columbus Grove for a couple of years after graduation. On July 16, 1955, she married her sweetheart Otto Joseph Gerdeman Jr. at St. Anthony Catholic Church, Columbus Grove. Together they raised 7 children, and celebrated 66 wonderful years of marriage before his sudden passing in December of 2021.

A faithful member of St. Mary Catholic Church since moving to Defiance in 1962, Connie was a member of St. Mary’s Altar & Rosary Society, and involved along with Otto in CFM (Christian Family Movement ), Cursillo, and Marriage Encounter. She helped count the Sunday collection for many years. In the community, she volunteered weekly for 10 years at Friends of Felines Rescue Center, was a Red Cross volunteer, and also volunteered at Defiance Regional Medical Center. After the youngest of her children started school, Connie worked in the mailroom at The Defiance Crescent News, and then began a long career as a bookkeeper for R.G. Zachrich Construction, Inc., retiring in 1993.

Connie was the steady, loving, firm, and supportive motherly rock of the family. She handled the birth of 7 kids within 10 years with joy, and tackled the endless meal prep and her favorite household task, laundry, with quiet commitment. With no time to read while raising her family, during her retirement she discovered a love of books and became an avid reader using Libby on her Kindle. She and Otto had a broad circle of friends, both socially and within the church parish, and shared their love of Cleveland Indians/Guardians baseball, with her watching every game, even through the World Series this year. Her faith in Jesus Christ and His promises was unwavering, and guided her through her short time in hospice care at home, and on the very last day of her life under CHP inpatient care.

Visitation for Connie will be held at Schaffer Funeral Home, 529 Jefferson Ave., Defiance, Ohio on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with a scriptural wake service at 4:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be on Thursday, November 12, at 11:00 a.m. at St. John Catholic Church, 510 Jackson Ave., Defiance. Pallbearers are her grandsons and grandsons-in-law. She will be buried alongside the love of her life, Otto, at Riverside Cemetery immediately following the Mass. A luncheon will follow.

Connie had several charities that were dear to heart. Please, in lieu of gift items and flowers, consider a donation in her memory to St. Vincent de Paul Society, Community Pregnancy Center, or Lily Creek Farms. She wanted memorials to help people, and you can honor her life beautifully in this way. Thank you for your friendship with our beloved Mom. We will hold you in our hearts forever!