Connie Barger

Connie Zoe Youngblood Barger was born on June 19th, 1945 and passed away peacefully on the afternoon of September 4th, 2026 from congestive heart failure, in Boise Idaho. She was 81.

Services will be held on September 21st at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 4848 N Five Mile Rd, Boise Idaho, at 2 pm.

Connie was born on June 19th, 1945 in Ontario, Oregon to Quenton (Pete) & Mattie Evajean (Eva) Ervin Youngblood. She was one of four children; sisters Alyce, Ruby and twin brother Lonnie. When she was a young child, the family lived in Lewiston Idaho and Clarkston Washington before the family moved to Boise in 1953. Connie graduated from Borah High School in 1963 and attended Boise Junior College, where she met her husband William R. Barger. They married in 1966.

Connie and Bill began their life together on a ranch in Melba Idaho. They lived in a small pump-house when they welcomed their first child Candis Zoe, before moving to Boise. They transferred to Salt Lake City in 1968 for Bill’s work, where they welcomed their second child Nicole Ellene shortly before returning to Boise in 1980. Bill and Connie enjoyed many activities together, such as sailing on the Great Salt Lake, and trap shooting. While in Utah, Connie made use of the genealogical libraries available there to research her family history--an interest she remained passionate about for the rest of her life. Bill and Connie divorced in 1989.

She continued to live in the Treasure Valley for the rest of her life where she supported herself through her independent bookkeeping business, which she began shortly after her divorce. Armed with her first personal computer and the bravery to try something new, Connie collected several clients in the treasure valley and successfully supported her family for decades. She also became an avid fan of computer puzzles such as mahjong, which her family suspects may have contributed to the sharp mental state she displayed even in her last days.

Connie was a loving and creative person--she enjoyed a variety of hobbies, including sewing, jewelry making, and arts and crafts with her granddaughters, to name a few. One of her proudest creative achievements was to compile a family cookbook for the “Cousin Aunt Brunch,” a family reunion she helped bring about multiple times. She would often introduce herself to new friends and family members by declaring herself “a hugger” before wrapping them in a big welcoming embrace. Her granddaughters Jacqueline and Mattie describe Connie as the best grandma, who taught and gave so much. Likewise, Ella and Lydia spent a fun summer visiting grandma Connie and Aunt Alyce while their parents were at work, learning together and creating dioramas, origami and other fun crafts.

She was a devoted Christian who attended church faithfully throughout her life, until complications with her health made it difficult to drive. This did not deter Connie’s faith, however, and she continued to learn from her favorite teachers and pastors online and on television.

Connie is survived by her two beloved daughters, Candis Zoe Harris and Nicole Ellene Wheeler, their husbands Doug Harris and Robert Wheeler, her granddaughters Jacqueline and her husband Nick Beuter, Mattie LaFever, Ella and Lydia Wheeler, and great grandson Brooks Beuter, as well as her sister and brother-in-law Ruby and Dennis Brandt, her twin brother and sister-in-law Lonnie and Robin Youngblood as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and extended family. She was preceded in death by her parents, beloved sister Alyce, and her ex-husband Bill, whom she cherished until her death.