Geraldine A. Smith “Gerry” went to God on April 21, 2023 at the age of 86. The only child of Gerald R. Smith (the artist) and Annette Thomas (the telephone girl) was born on December 27, 1936 in the city of Marshfield.
Gerry attended St. John’s Grade School, and Columbus High School, class of 1954. She received a BA degree in Secondary Education at Central State College in Stevens Point and a MA degree in American History from Marquette University in 1966. In 1967 she was chosen one of thirty fellows to study at Notre Dame University and was a Robert A. Taft fellow in the summer of 1968 at UW Milwaukee.
Her teaching career began at Newman High School in Wausau in the History Dept. In 1959 she went to be an English teacher at Spencer High School. While there, she also taught American History, Sociology, Psychology, and 20th Century Problems. In 1965 she began supervising foreign languages by correspondence/ telephone in conjunction with the UW Extension in Madison. In her final years at Spencer she was the AV Director for the district, as well as its distance learning specialist.
Gerry also volunteered at St Joseph’s Hospital in both the Pastoral Ministry and Hospice. She was the first lay communion minister and trained others to do the same. In 1981 she was trained as a hospice volunteer in the first class that was established. She helped train the first nursing staff for the in-house hospice program on death and dying. She worked with many volunteer classes as a teacher since the beginning of the hospice program.
She is survived by several cousins and many friends who allowed her into their lives, and who certainly made a difference in hers.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, May 5th, 2023 at Rembs Funeral Home in Marshfield where visitation will be from 9:00 am until service time. The service will be streamed online at www.facebook.com/rembsfuneralhomes. Burial will take place at Hillside Cemetery in Marshfield.
Condolences may be sent online at www.rembsfh.com
Author: News Desk
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