Connie Marie Dietz, 67

Connie Marie Dietz, 67, passed away Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Memorial services will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, at the Lakeview Funeral Home, with Pastor Eric Rust officiating.

Connie was born May 19, 1956, to Beverly and William (Bill) Simon in Minneapolis, Minn. She grew up with three brothers, Chuck, Craig and Cary. Connie graduated from Lincoln High School in Bloomington, Minn., in 1974.

Connie married Forrest Schuck in 1975 in the church where she grew up, Christ the King Lutheran in Bloomington, Minn. Connie and Forrest moved to Astoria, Ore., that same year, and together they had two children, Morgan (1977) and Justin (1980). Seeking a better way of living, the family moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1985.

Connie worked at many local businesses in Sandpoint, including the “old warehouse” days with Coldwater Creek on Lake Street.

Connie moved back to Minnesota in 1993 to finish her education as an optometrist assistant. She met Ron Dietz at her 20-year high school reunion in 1994, and they married in 1996. They settled in Richfield, Minn., where she had a successful career at a local garden center, and she also worked for the Mall of America, caring for their interior plants. Connie attained her Master Gardener certification and had a beautiful flower garden for all of her neighbors and passersby to admire. She also won many ribbons at the Minnesota State Fair for flower design.

Connie enjoyed flower gardening and was a very talented seamstress; she made many outfits for her kids when they were young, aprons for family and granddaughters, Connie enjoyed attending arts and crafts shows to sell her wares of crocheted items, counted cross-stitch, and lovingly crafted Christmas ornaments.

Connie and Ron were blessed with their first grandchild in 2009, (Tacey Tajan); a second grandchild in 2011, (Vivian Schuck); a third in 2012, (Willow Tajan); and their fourth in 2014, (Gavin Schuck).

In 2019, Connie and Ron sold their home in Richfield and moved to Sandpoint to be closer to Morgan and Justin and their four grandchildren. Connie enjoyed spending time on her porch with her neighbors in Minnesota and Idaho, canoeing, and spending time with family at “the cabin” on Warren Island on Lake Pend Oreille.

Connie was preceded in death by an infant sister, Cathy, and her parents, Bev and Bill.

Connie is survived by her husband, Ron Dietz; her children, Morgan Tajan and Justin Schuck (Sara Hansen); and four grandchildren.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Connie’s online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign her guest book.