Connie Gumm was born Constance Louise Bailey on November 28, 1949, just 13 months and some days after her older brother Michael. Their parents were Bud and Wilma Jean Bailey (Ma and Pa), a handsome young couple who built a house less than a block away from Jean’s mom and dad (Granny and Gramps). A few years later, brother Vernon came along, followed by Kenneth and then Peggy.

They were a happy young family, involved in all the sports and activities at their parish and the new school at Christ the King, which Bud helped build despite being the lone Protestant in the family. Connie was a member of the first 1st-8th grade class at Christ the King. She played the clarinet and accompanied Mike and his accordion on the piano. The family gathered at Granny and Gramps’ house every Sunday for fried chicken dinner. They would go on camping trips, experiencing both laughter and fear with Pa’s trademark driving technique of veering off the road while pointing out some impressive landmarks. The first time they stayed at a hotel when the kids were older, Connie knew that was going to be her way to travel. She was very interested in vacationing but not interested in roughing it.

As the family grew, they needed more space. Ma designed her dream home and Pa and Gramps built it behind their first home, moving them even closer to Granny and Gramps. The new house was a beauty, with a lot of room for the kids to play in the backyard and basement, which had a pool table. Besides her siblings, Connie’s favorite playmates were her cousins. Cousins were at the center of the family’s social life and she loved them. Many of them went to school together, and they all played together and got into mischief together. Much of the family’s travels revolved around seeing relatives, especially “The Illinois Cousins.” Later, Connie would be roommates with her cousin and great friend Danielle.

Even with all of the family activities, Connie had time to make plenty of friends at Christ the King, Madonna and St. Mary’s, friendships she maintained her whole life. Linda, Sharon, Vicki, Natalie, Brenda, Judy, and Chrisa were some of the friends her family would hear about and visit and keep up with over the years. She was a founding member of the Future Beatles’ Wives Club, planning on marrying Paul. She got to shake hands with John F. Kennedy when he visited Wichita. She had many stories of artists like Chad and Jeremy and Willie Nelson who found her cute when they signed their autographs or shook her hand. She was not above bragging about those encounters. She utilized her cuteness and charm as much as she could, even getting her own free ride to Sacred Heart College when she tagged along with Mike when he was enrolling in college.

Her brother Vernon died of leukemia in 1969, leaving an indelible mark. The loss weighed on Connie but also reinforced her love of her family. There was nothing she loved more in life.

In her young adult life, she worked at Peter Pan Ice Cream, Crank’s Drug Store, and Pitney Bose. In the mid-1970’s she became a dental assistant for Dr. Frederick Aurbach, a job and boss she loved. She was great friends with Doc, working for him for over 20 years. Shortly after starting in the dental office, she was at the local night club Scene Seventies where she met a handsome guy named Clifford Vance Gumm. The two got in a beer chugging contest and danced their first dance to the BeeGee’s “Long Train Running.” The couple got married in 1974 and Connie became a wife and step-mom to Chris and sister-in-law to Steve, Kenny, and Shelly, all whom she loved. Daughter Angie came along in 1976, and Pa, Gramps and Kenneth helped Cliff build a house next to Granny and Gramps’, just a few homes away from Ma and Pa’s for the young family to move into. Connie and Cliff spent the rest of their lives in that home they built. She was a loving and fun mother, always encouraging adventure and trying new things. She was a friend to her childrens' friends and loved visits from Angie's friends from Disney, one time hosting seven girls from four countries on a Mother's Day weekend visit!

Always, family was at the center of life, often playing Saturday night card games with Kenneth and Linda, hanging out and bowling with Peggy and her family and Ma and Pa, or driving up to Topeka to spend the weekend with Mike and his family or card nights when he was back in Wichita. She loved all of her nieces and nephews, who were coming along in droves, taking turns watching them and laughing at their various escapades. She would love them greatly her whole life. Situations changed over the years, but spending time with family was always Connie’s favorite thing to do.

A close second favorite was traveling and third was gambling. Connie and Cliff loved to travel, bringing Angie along for most of their adventures. Connie loved the Grand Tetons, Lake Jenny, Lake Louise, Colorado, Monument Valley, Mackinac Island, Las Vegas, Disneyland, Disney World, Yellowstone, Gettysburg and Tibi Island the best. Cliff also got transferred up to Seattle, Washington, in the ‘90s, for almost two years with his job at Boeing, and the couple had a lot of fun going around exploring the state and visiting Chris and his wife Marianne up there. After Angie left the nest, the couple continued traveling and added late night gambling excursions to their list of hobbies. Connie had been an avid volleyball player and bowler, hobbies that had to fall by the wayside after her back surgery. Gambling was a fun replacement for the couple, though.

After Doc retired, Connie became the Program Director at West Acres Bowl, a job she really loved. She considered her co-workers to be a second family, loved the customers, and had a great deal of fun using her natural abilities as a promoter and organizer to get more people bowling and leagues growing. She was always proud of her work at the bowl.

When she and Cliff were both retired, the couple had several years to enjoy traveling together. She was the most dedicated caretaker of Angie and Cliff, when they faced serious illnesses, just as she had been with Ma. She also had her first battle with cancer in 2017, beating breast cancer. Cliff passed away after a long period of illness in 2018. This loss left a hole in Connie’s heart, but in time, she got back to enjoying visiting and traveling again. She began spending more time with neighbors who became her great friends and started playing cards with old and new friends at Christ the King. She especially loved traveling, watching TV, and playing Skip-Bo with Angie, mostly just if she won. They went to Iowa (frequently), Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, and exploring around Kansas, visiting family and friends and seeing the natural and man-made wonders. Her spirit of adventure only grew with age. In 2020, she rented a cabin in Monkey Island, Oklahoma, for a month, and had fun exploring the local casinos. In the 2020s she faced kidney cancer and then lung cancer, which ultimately returned and was the cause of her death.

During her last year of life, though, she had two of her biggest adventures. In 2025, on what started out as a lark, Connie and Angie went down to Chile in South America for a month. At the time, some of the trip was overwhelming, but in hindsight she could say it was one of the most fun times she’d ever had and laughed about the challenges they faced. Then, after Christmas, the pair took the Amtrak train out to the Grand Canyon and Disneyland, to see the sights and visit old friends. During her last months, she would often reminisce fondly about those trips.

Connie will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved her. She was the best mother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend anyone could ask for. She had a great faith in God, though, and was ready for this journey home.

She is survived by daughter Angie Gumm, brother Kenneth (Linda) Bailey, sister Peggy (Bob) Stateler, numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews and daughter-in-law Marianne Wilson Gumm. She is preceded in death by mother Wilma Jean Bailey, father Bud Bailey, husband Clifford Gumm, brothers Vernon and Michael Bailey, and son Christopher Gumm.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Christ the King School in Wichita or St. Mary Parish Catholic School in Derby.

Rosary will be held Friday, July 24th and Mass held Saturday July 25th, both at Christ the King Catholic Church, 4411 W. Maple St, Wichita, Kansas 67209.  Graveside at Ascension Cemetery, Bel Aire, Kansas.

Baker Funeral Home Valley Center - Condolences may be left for the family at www.bakerfhvc.com