Constance ‘Connie’ Lea (Lloyd) Podeszwa, 82, of Galesburg, Illinois, died at 12:59 pm, Saturday, February 4, 2023, at Courtyard Estates in Monmouth, Illinois, surrounded by loved ones.
Connie was born on October 25, 1940, in Moline, Illinois to Milo and Arlene (Logdson) Lloyd and was raised in Fruitland, Iowa. Fourteen years later, she moved to Galesburg, Illinois with her family and soon found her passion for the beauty industry. She completed a “Beauty Culturist” license in 1958, and began her hairstyling career at O.T. Johnson’s Beauty Salons. Connie was an entrepreneur with a vision and the talent to make it reality. She began “Connie’s Coiffures, a salon located in the family’s basement that quickly became the go-to in the industry.
In 1977, Connie pursued her dream of owning her own business by founding Hair Etc. which is still operating on Seminary Street today. In speaking about her work, she would share that even though her clients didn’t always know what they wanted or if they weren’t feeling the best, she knew she could make them feel beautiful by the time they left. She had a fulfilling 50-year career and her creative talents, perseverance, and strong-willed nature have created a lasting legacy.
On June 21, 1958, Connie was united in marriage to the love of her life, Richard ‘Dick’ Donald Podeszwa. Shortly after, the two moved overseas to Casablanca, Morocco where Dick served at the Nouasseur Air Force base. There, they formed lifelong friendships with Jan (and Chuck) Thomas and the late Joan (and Pete) Vitale. Today, Connie’s family knows them as their own. The love that Connie and Dick shared during their 64-year marriage spanned across multiple continents and generations. They raised four children in Galesburg, Illinois, and were loving grandparents to their eight grandchildren. Through their travels and laughter, in sickness and in health, in life and now in death they truly loved and cherished each other.
Connie is preceded in death by her husband, Richard ‘Dick’ Donald Podeszwa, her sister, Shirley John, and brother, Robert Lloyd. She is survived by her siblings: Eva Jacobson of Galesburg, Harriet Trainor of Hillsborough, New Jersey, Vicki Kostrzewa of Batavia, Illinois, and Laura Perry of Geneva, Illinois; her children: Mark Podeszwa of Galesburg, Eva (Sal) Garza of Galesburg, Kurt (Marchelle) Podeszwa of Hockley, Texas, and Gina (Scott) Tunzi of Madison, Wisconsin; and her grandchildren: Amelia, Sergio, Salem, Indigo, Kerryck, Sofia, Natalina, and Joseph.
The family will be holding a Celebration of Love for both Constance and Richard Podeszwa at the Thomas Legacy Center at Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory in Galesburg on Saturday, April 8, 2023, from 3:00pm – 5:00pm. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in their memory to the Alzheimer’s Association at act.alz.org/goto/podeszwa Arrangements have been entrusted to Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, Galesburg. Online expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.watsonthomas.com.
