DODGE CITY – Connie Austin, 84, died Saturday, October 29, 2022 at her home in Dodge City.

She was born January 2, 1938 at Great Bend, the daughter of Ray and Dorothy (Bailey) Richardson.  She attended Dodge City schools and was a 1955 graduate of Dodge City High School, and in 1954 was the Floor Show Queen. On December 27, 1955 she married Kenny Austin at Dodge City.  She worked as a secretary for the business and finance department of the First Christian Church. She was a Keenager senior director for 15 years, a bus driver for the Bible Bowl, an Ombudsman for the state of Kansas assisting senior citizens in nursing homes, and a CASA volunteer.  She enjoyed baking cookies for the needy and shut ins as well as baking and decorating cakes, Coke hour with the girls, line dancing at the Senior Center, cross stitching, collecting dolls, and spending time at their cabin in Colorado.  She was very proud of the fact that she was a descendant of Benjamin Franklin.

Survivors include: her husband of 66 years, Kenny; their 4 children, Brent and wife Dee, Dodge City, Deann Jones, Dodge City, Bruce and wife Bonnie, Wichita, and Darin and wife Jackie, Pueblo, Colorado; a sister Karen Ehrlich, Surprise, Arizona; 8 grandchildren, Renee Duvall and husband Eric, Stephen Austin and wife Sarah, Annalise Hagan and husband Joshua, Emily Smith and husband Braden, Joshua Austin and wife Madison, Caleb Austin, Jonathan Austin, and Andrew Austin; and 6 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Gene Richardson, a sister, Carol Koehn, and brother-in-law, Duane Ehrlich.

Funeral service will be at 10:00 am Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at the First Christian Church, Dodge City, with Jeff Hiers officiating.  Burial will follow in Greencrest Memorial Gardens, Dodge City.  Visitation will be from noon to 8:00 pm Tuesday with the family present from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Ziegler Funeral Chapel, Dodge City.

The family suggest memorials to St. Jude Children's Hospital in care of Ziegler Funeral Chapel, 1901 N. 14 ^th Ave., Dodge City, Kansas 67801.