Obituary of Connie Y. Rust

Connie , our beloved wife, mother and friend, passed away peacefully, while at rest,  among a fellowship of close family and  friends, July 14th, at the age of 80 years.  

She was born Connie Yvonne Mears, on December 5th, 1944,  the only daughter of K.D. Mears and Mary Lee Mears, sister of Wayne Mears, in Bell Gardens, California, was raised and grew up there and later graduated from Bell Gardens High School, in 1963.

Her career, out of school, included the usual work in food service as typical of first jobs , but also in the field of electronics, at Motorola, in the then nascent development of  Integrated Circuitry, where she supervised in quality control, before later becoming a domestic house-wife.

Marrying her husband, Robert Rust, in 1963, sweet-hearts together since they were  in High School , she became a military wife of that era and though his service would sometimes send him away, early on, or they together, to bases in  the states of Missouri and Louisiana, closer to his  own family or farther afield to bases in Wiesbaden, Germany, they remained a couple through-out,  having two children, together,  Settling down into civilian life, after, they moved back to California so she could  more closely reconnect with her own elder father and familiar landscapes.

Through her life's  journey, though she would sometimes travel to other places and lands, she would always have an affinity for and considered herself, in heart, a child of and California her native home. 

She was both a lover, not just of its' natural landscapes, enjoying, when possible,  excursions out among the forests, fields, lakes and shores, but she also admired its' diverse human landscape, learning about people's life stories, particularly of indigenous people, their loves and struggles and the  special Californian manner of juxtaposition and coexistence between the land, it's history and its people.

She was, for some time, an avid ceramics hobbyist,  often busy with projects, though she would admittedly consider herself a novice.  She was fond of flowers, lighthouses,  shorebirds and owls, love ballads by crooners, silly puns and jokes of all kinds. She loved to cook. 

Fine details were always something she had an eye for, whether in her work, passions or in her relationships. She loved listening to and being there for other people. 

She is survived by her husband, Robert, who she was married to for 61 years and her two sons, Brian, 59 and Kevin, 53, who miss her dearly. 

A lover of animals and children, in lieu of gifts, she would appreciate  any donations be made to the ASPCA or your local CASA.