Genevieve Heath

    
  The Iron Lady has left the house. Last seen, she was walking spritely and confidently toward verdant, greener pastures. Several witnesses said her feet never touched the ground.
    Two months and two days after celebrating her 100th birthday with family and friends, Concordia resident Genevieve M. Heath died peacefully in her sleep on December 22, 2020, of natural causes, with her beloved companion Duke by her side.
    Genevieve is survived by her three children: Faith Nyswonger, of Concordia; Jim Owens, of Battle Ground, Wash.; and Roy Michael Owens, of Colorado and Concordia. She is also survived by seven grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren, and untold scores of friends and neighbors she so generously opened her heart to throughout her long life. She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Ray F. Heath, of California.
    Genevieve was born on the 20th day of October, 1920, in Brawley, California, 20 miles north of the Mexican border. A lifelong Californian, she moved to Concordia in order to be closer to her daughter. Genevieve was a member of the First United Methodist Church and an active participant with the Crusader’s Sunday School class.
She considered Concordia to be a great blessing in her life.
    Genevieve would not have anyone shed tears; she was rock-solid firm in her Christian faith that she would be going to a better place. With a hardy and confident laugh in the week before she died, she told her son Roy Michael that her bags were packed and she was ready to go.
    Michael asked his mother if she had packed a toothbrush. With a wink and a smile, she said, “Good idea. I might need one.”
Genevieve knew the time was at hand. Her breathing had become labored. She said she was ready – it was her time. She wanted to go.
She exited the planet with the same grace that she inhabited it, with the loving assistance of Meadowlark Hospice, the staff of which are deserving of a gold medal for the loving and devoted care and support they provide to patients and families. Hospice nurse Debra Champlin was especially comforting and a steady presence on Genevieve’s last day.
    Genevieve lived a remarkable and full life. After the divorce from her first husband, as the sole family provider, she worked in various, menial jobs, including working alongside migrant workers to process heads of lettuce, under a hot, metal-roofed shed – in the renowned Salad Bowl of the USA, Salinas Valley, California, made famous in novels by John Steinbeck.
    Years later, she earned her undergraduate degree from California State University at Chico and continued a teaching career in elementary education that spanned three decades, retiring at the relatively young age of 57. She was an iconic figure in Northern California. Before she left the state and moved to Kansas in 2003, several organizations, private and municipal, held dinners in her honor.
    At the ripe old age of 93, Genevieve embarked on yet another career – RE investment. With offers for a quick cash-only deal, she negotiated deals to buy several houses for the rental income they provided. Genevieve argued that it was a no-brainer because, “The banks aren’t paying me anything.”
    What can you say about a woman who traveled throughout the world multiple times – trips and long excursions to remote destinations on every continent except Antarctica. What can you say about a woman who walked on the Great Wall of China; visited Cuba before the U.S. sanctions were lifted; shopped in the Casbah of Casablanca, Morocco; and did the backstroke in the Dead Sea, among many other far-flung adventures.
    All you can say is that her life was impactful. Asked by her son in his mother’s later years why she didn’t slow down and smell the proverbial roses, Genevieve looked bewildered at such a foolish question. “I need a reason to live,” she argued. “I’m on this planet to be of help to others.”
    She was generous in every way, giving of her time and money for charitable causes. She also fully funded investment accounts for each of her 15 great-grandchildren to be used for their college education.
    On her last day, as her two sons huddled over her, Genevieve’s eyes sparkled in recognition. She smiled and said, “My two boys!” … her last words. Appropriately so, for she lived mostly for her children. Along with that grumpy, old, deaf Boston “Terrorist” Duke.
    As the final hour ticked away, granddaughter Sara noted that Genevieve’s favorite TV show was on – Jeopardy – and she blasted it loud enough to be heard in Ottawa County. Genevieve died three minutes after the show ended. We’ll never know if she knew the answer to Final Jeopardy – her children wouldn’t bet against her.
    A voracious reader who read up to three books a week, Genevieve never finished her last book, the title of which was “The Last Girl Standing.”
    Genevieve was cremated. She requested that no memorial service be held in her honor – a final and humble example of her not wanting to bring attention to herself.
    “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”