Arlyne Elizabeth Radtke Geschwender

Arlyne Elizabeth Radtke Geschwender

June 18, 1925 – September 20, 2024

Arlyne E Geschwender was born on June 18, 1925, in Osseo MN. Her parents were Otto & Elizabeth Radtke. She was one of six children and was the middle child as one died at birth.

Her parent’s farm was west of Osseo. The house had no plumbing and was heated with a wood stove, drinking water was carried to the house in milk cans. My siblings and I loved the farm except when we needed to use the outhouse in the winter, it was usually a quick visit for us.

Living on the farm was a hard life and Mom wanted nothing more than to grow up and check out the world. Upon her graduation she and a friend traveled to work in San Francisco where they found a bustling city during World War II.

After the war Arlyne returned to Minneapolis MN attending college there.  It seems Arlyne was always something of an entrepreneur. To pay her way through school she started a telemarketing company selling photographic services for a local photographer. She hired college students, many of them returning from the war. That’s where she met our father, Leonard W Geschwender. Len was taking flying lessons and attending a radio broadcasting school in the twin cities. He had applied for a job with her company, and she hired him. One thing led to another, and they were married on February 14^th, 1947. Len got a job at KODY as a broadcaster in North Platte NE, where the oldest child Randi was born in January 1948. Len and Arlyne then moved to Mankato MN where Len had found better employment opportunity and where Kurt was born in February 1949. They again moved to Omaha NE where the youngest son Kent was born in January of 1952.

Arlyne was a stay-at-home Mom, which was typical for the time, and was good at it, but wanted to do more. So, while Len was traveling, she took a job as a bookkeeper for a small department store at 78^th & Dodge St. She didn’t drive, so she would walk two miles to work from our first home at 762 Cole Creek Dr. Eventually she learned to drive, and while Len was on the road, she bought her first car for $250, a 1948 Pontiac, the “iron beast.”  I still have memories, or maybe nightmares, of never being sure the brakes would really work.

Len and Arlyne bought their second home at 11029 Olin Ave. It was then that she decided to get serious about her career. There was a small builder Quintin Mahloch in the Rockbrook area who provided her with her first real opportunity. She had taken real estate classes with an attorney by the name of Otto Spielhagen and received her salesperson’s license. There were very few women in the real estate business when Arlyne entered the field. That didn’t phase her in the least, it was full speed ahead for her. Shortly after Arlyne persuaded Len to come into the real estate industry and in 1962 started Geschwender Real Estate Co. with an office in their home. Shortly thereafter they built Arlyne’s dream house at 11421 Shirley St. and again the office was in their home. The business grew substantially and required hiring more agents and opening the office in Rockbrook Village.  In 1978, she was the driving force behind building their own office building at 11217 Wright Circle.

Arlyne’s nest accomplishment was to start “The Randall School of Real Estate.”, still in existence today. It was a challenge for her as she had to do battle with the state legislature that wanted to ban private real estate schools. With the help of some forward-thinking senators, a local newspaper, and others she was able to carve out a place for private schools.  And when there wasn’t an adequate curriculum for teaching, she literally wrote the book “Real Estate Practices and Principles”, now in its 9^th addition and widely  used throughout the country.

She purchased an old farmstead at 89^th & Burt Street and developed Birch Tree Lofts, a unique cluster housing site. She had to battle there as well, working with public utility companies and the city.

Arlyne was a key player in bringing the Woman’s Council of Realtors to Omaha.  With her drive it was a success although she met with much opposition. She eventually served as their National President and also served as President of the Omaha Board of Realtors.

Lastly, she was terrific mother. She was always there for all three of her children as well as her four grandchildren and her 7 great grandchildren. The woman had no equal when it came to drive and determination to succeed. Arlyne was the best and will be sorely missed.

Preceded in death by husband, Leonard Geschwender; sister, June Stortoen; brothers, Glen, Dorin and Duane Radtke; grandson, Derek Geschwender.

Survived by children: Kurt Geschwender (Tina), Kent Geschwender (Julie) all of Omaha, Randi Brinkman (Bill) of Tiburon, California; grandchildren: Quinn McGuire (Marty) of Omaha, Kiara Brinkman-Chiki (Sean) of Albany, California, Kyle Geschwender (Lauren) of Scottsdale, Arizona; great-grandchildren: Molly and Brody McGuire, Esme, Arthur, and Julian Brinkman-Chiki, Kennedy and Harrison Geschwender.

Family will receive friends on Wednesday, September 25^th from 5pm to 7pm at the West Center Chapel.

Funeral: Thursday, September 26th, 11AM at Presbyterian Church of the Cross.

Interment: Evergreen Memorial Park.

Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler, West Center Chapel

7805 West Center Road, Omaha, Ne 68124. (402)-391-3900. www.heafeyheafey.com