Geraldine (Jerry) Eoff
October 14, 1919 - October 15, 2021
Geraldine (Jerry) Martha Eoff, 102, died Oct. 15, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. She was born in East St Louis, Illinois, on Oct. 14, 1919, to Ruth F. McMillan and Calvin C. Croy. After her father's death, her mother married Edward Gates.
Jerry married her high-school sweetheart, William R. "Ray" Eoff, on Aug. 4, 1940. They lived in East St. Louis where their first daughter, Jerri, was born in 1941. After Ray joined the Marine Corps in 1944 and left to fight in WWII, Jerry became a "Rosie the Riveter," working nights in the lab at the Aluminum Ore Co. (now Alcoa). She was proud of the contributions she and the other women made to the war effort, helping create materials for aircraft and military vehicles. When the war ended and the men came home, the women lost their jobs.
Jerry went back to being a full-time homemaker and when daughter Jerri was 6 years old, the family moved to Oak Cliff in Dallas, Texas, at the urging of one of Ray's Marine Corps buddies. There, they had two more daughters, Pamela and Robyn. They spent two weeks camping in Colorado every summer; made trips to Minnesota, Alabama, Virginia and California to visit relatives; and enjoyed several Caribbean island vacations that Ray earned through his job.
Jerry was always good at taking care of people, but still, it came as a surprise to her children when she decided to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse when she was almost 50. She went to school, got her license, and worked as an LVN in a clinic for almost 20 years.
Jerry and Ray were active members of Tyler Street Methodist Church in Dallas until they retired and moved to Whitney, Texas, where they began attending a rural Baptist Church. There they joined Texas Baptist Builders, traveling around the state remodeling and constructing churches.
In the 1980s, Jerry and Ray moved to New Braunfels, Texas, to be closer to their daughter and her family in San Antonio. They became active in the First Baptist Church in New Braunfels, participating in the church's SonShine Singers and puppet ministry.
Jerry took care of her husband for two years until he died from mesothelioma in 2008. After that, she purchased and oversaw remodeling of a home in New Braunfels, while continuing her church activities and joining a gym's senior-citizen exercise program. One day she drove up to the gym for her exercise class and discovered that its doors were padlocked as the result of a bankruptcy.
That was the deciding moment for Jerry; in September 2011, she moved to Adante Senior Living in San Antonio to be closer to her daughter. She was among Adante's first residents, immediately becoming an unofficial social director, taking it upon herself to ensure that newer residents felt welcome. In her late 90s, Jerry decided to take up painting, which she had always wanted to do. She greatly enjoyed her weekly lessons from artist Andrei, and soon filled her apartment with her colorful artwork.
Jerry survived the difficult years of World War II, the loss of her beloved husband, cancer and chemotherapy at age 92, a broken hip, and other setbacks, but until the end, never lost her positive outlook on life, her cheerful personality and her sense of humor.
Jerry was preceded in death by an infant brother, her older brother Truman Croy, sister-in-law Elizabeth Croy, and son-in-law Dennis Montgomery. She leaves behind her daughters and their families, Jerri Sudderth (Bill), Minneapolis, Minn.; Pamela Salazar (Ignacio), San Antonio, Texas; and Robyn Eoff, Williamsburg, Va.; grandchildren Darcy Sudderth (Galen Hersey), Minneapolis; Kelsey Carignan (Mark), Roseville, Minn.; Elisa Salazar, Chicago, Ill.; Miguel Salazar (Concepción), Austin, Texas; great-grandchildren Zachary and Oliver Hersey, Chiara Carignan, and Eva and Camila Salazar; and niece and nephew Ruth Hansen (John) and Jan Croy (Margarita), of the San Marcos area.
The family would like to thank the Adante staff, Michelle of Comfort Keepers, and her wonderful caregivers – most recently, Angela, Kim, Kassie, Tammy, Alex and Amanda – for the loving care and attention they provided to Jerry.
Interment will be at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at a later date.
As Jerry always said to her Texas Baptist Builders friends, "See you down the road."
Porter Loring Mortuary
October 14, 1919 - October 15, 2021
Geraldine (Jerry) Martha Eoff, 102, died Oct. 15, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. She was born in East St Louis, Illinois, on Oct. 14, 1919, to Ruth F. McMillan and Calvin C. Croy. After her father's death, her mother married Edward Gates.
Jerry married her high-school sweetheart, William R. "Ray" Eoff, on Aug. 4, 1940. They lived in East St. Louis where their first daughter, Jerri, was born in 1941. After Ray joined the Marine Corps in 1944 and left to fight in WWII, Jerry became a "Rosie the Riveter," working nights in the lab at the Aluminum Ore Co. (now Alcoa). She was proud of the contributions she and the other women made to the war effort, helping create materials for aircraft and military vehicles. When the war ended and the men came home, the women lost their jobs.
Jerry went back to being a full-time homemaker and when daughter Jerri was 6 years old, the family moved to Oak Cliff in Dallas, Texas, at the urging of one of Ray's Marine Corps buddies. There, they had two more daughters, Pamela and Robyn. They spent two weeks camping in Colorado every summer; made trips to Minnesota, Alabama, Virginia and California to visit relatives; and enjoyed several Caribbean island vacations that Ray earned through his job.
Jerry was always good at taking care of people, but still, it came as a surprise to her children when she decided to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse when she was almost 50. She went to school, got her license, and worked as an LVN in a clinic for almost 20 years.
Jerry and Ray were active members of Tyler Street Methodist Church in Dallas until they retired and moved to Whitney, Texas, where they began attending a rural Baptist Church. There they joined Texas Baptist Builders, traveling around the state remodeling and constructing churches.
In the 1980s, Jerry and Ray moved to New Braunfels, Texas, to be closer to their daughter and her family in San Antonio. They became active in the First Baptist Church in New Braunfels, participating in the church's SonShine Singers and puppet ministry.
Jerry took care of her husband for two years until he died from mesothelioma in 2008. After that, she purchased and oversaw remodeling of a home in New Braunfels, while continuing her church activities and joining a gym's senior-citizen exercise program. One day she drove up to the gym for her exercise class and discovered that its doors were padlocked as the result of a bankruptcy.
That was the deciding moment for Jerry; in September 2011, she moved to Adante Senior Living in San Antonio to be closer to her daughter. She was among Adante's first residents, immediately becoming an unofficial social director, taking it upon herself to ensure that newer residents felt welcome. In her late 90s, Jerry decided to take up painting, which she had always wanted to do. She greatly enjoyed her weekly lessons from artist Andrei, and soon filled her apartment with her colorful artwork.
Jerry survived the difficult years of World War II, the loss of her beloved husband, cancer and chemotherapy at age 92, a broken hip, and other setbacks, but until the end, never lost her positive outlook on life, her cheerful personality and her sense of humor.
Jerry was preceded in death by an infant brother, her older brother Truman Croy, sister-in-law Elizabeth Croy, and son-in-law Dennis Montgomery. She leaves behind her daughters and their families, Jerri Sudderth (Bill), Minneapolis, Minn.; Pamela Salazar (Ignacio), San Antonio, Texas; and Robyn Eoff, Williamsburg, Va.; grandchildren Darcy Sudderth (Galen Hersey), Minneapolis; Kelsey Carignan (Mark), Roseville, Minn.; Elisa Salazar, Chicago, Ill.; Miguel Salazar (Concepción), Austin, Texas; great-grandchildren Zachary and Oliver Hersey, Chiara Carignan, and Eva and Camila Salazar; and niece and nephew Ruth Hansen (John) and Jan Croy (Margarita), of the San Marcos area.
The family would like to thank the Adante staff, Michelle of Comfort Keepers, and her wonderful caregivers – most recently, Angela, Kim, Kassie, Tammy, Alex and Amanda – for the loving care and attention they provided to Jerry.
Interment will be at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at a later date.
As Jerry always said to her Texas Baptist Builders friends, "See you down the road."
Porter Loring Mortuary
Geraldine (Jerry) Eoff
October 14, 1919 - October 15, 2021
Geraldine (Jerry) Martha Eoff, 102, died Oct. 15, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. She was born in East St Louis, Illinois, on Oct. 14, 1919, to Ruth F. McMillan and Calvin C. Croy. After her father's death, her mother married Edward Gates.
Jerry married her high-school sweetheart, William R. "Ray" Eoff, on Aug. 4, 1940. They lived in East St. Louis where their first daughter, Jerri, was born in 1941. After Ray joined the Marine Corps in 1944 and left to fight in WWII, Jerry became a "Rosie the Riveter," working nights in the lab at the Aluminum Ore Co. (now Alcoa). She was proud of the contributions she and the other women made to the war effort, helping create materials for aircraft and military vehicles. When the war ended and the men came home, the women lost their jobs.
Jerry went back to being a full-time homemaker and when daughter Jerri was 6 years old, the family moved to Oak Cliff in Dallas, Texas, at the urging of one of Ray's Marine Corps buddies. There, they had two more daughters, Pamela and Robyn. They spent two weeks camping in Colorado every summer; made trips to Minnesota, Alabama, Virginia and California to visit relatives; and enjoyed several Caribbean island vacations that Ray earned through his job.
Jerry was always good at taking care of people, but still, it came as a surprise to her children when she decided to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse when she was almost 50. She went to school, got her license, and worked as an LVN in a clinic for almost 20 years.
Jerry and Ray were active members of Tyler Street Methodist Church in Dallas until they retired and moved to Whitney, Texas, where they began attending a rural Baptist Church. There they joined Texas Baptist Builders, traveling around the state remodeling and constructing churches.
In the 1980s, Jerry and Ray moved to New Braunfels, Texas, to be closer to their daughter and her family in San Antonio. They became active in the First Baptist Church in New Braunfels, participating in the church's SonShine Singers and puppet ministry.
Jerry took care of her husband for two years until he died from mesothelioma in 2008. After that, she purchased and oversaw remodeling of a home in New Braunfels, while continuing her church activities and joining a gym's senior-citizen exercise program. One day she drove up to the gym for her exercise class and discovered that its doors were padlocked as the result of a bankruptcy.
That was the deciding moment for Jerry; in September 2011, she moved to Adante Senior Living in San Antonio to be closer to her daughter. She was among Adante's first residents, immediately becoming an unofficial social director, taking it upon herself to ensure that newer residents felt welcome. In her late 90s, Jerry decided to take up painting, which she had always wanted to do. She greatly enjoyed her weekly lessons from artist Andrei, and soon filled her apartment with her colorful artwork.
Jerry survived the difficult years of World War II, the loss of her beloved husband, cancer and chemotherapy at age 92, a broken hip, and other setbacks, but until the end, never lost her positive outlook on life, her cheerful personality and her sense of humor.
Jerry was preceded in death by an infant brother, her older brother Truman Croy, sister-in-law Elizabeth Croy, and son-in-law Dennis Montgomery. She leaves behind her daughters and their families, Jerri Sudderth (Bill), Minneapolis, Minn.; Pamela Salazar (Ignacio), San Antonio, Texas; and Robyn Eoff, Williamsburg, Va.; grandchildren Darcy Sudderth (Galen Hersey), Minneapolis; Kelsey Carignan (Mark), Roseville, Minn.; Elisa Salazar, Chicago, Ill.; Miguel Salazar (Concepción), Austin, Texas; great-grandchildren Zachary and Oliver Hersey, Chiara Carignan, and Eva and Camila Salazar; and niece and nephew Ruth Hansen (John) and Jan Croy (Margarita), of the San Marcos area.
The family would like to thank the Adante staff, Michelle of Comfort Keepers, and her wonderful caregivers – most recently, Angela, Kim, Kassie, Tammy, Alex and Amanda – for the loving care and attention they provided to Jerry.
Interment will be at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at a later date.
As Jerry always said to her Texas Baptist Builders friends, "See you down the road."
Porter Loring Mortuary
October 14, 1919 - October 15, 2021
Geraldine (Jerry) Martha Eoff, 102, died Oct. 15, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. She was born in East St Louis, Illinois, on Oct. 14, 1919, to Ruth F. McMillan and Calvin C. Croy. After her father's death, her mother married Edward Gates.
Jerry married her high-school sweetheart, William R. "Ray" Eoff, on Aug. 4, 1940. They lived in East St. Louis where their first daughter, Jerri, was born in 1941. After Ray joined the Marine Corps in 1944 and left to fight in WWII, Jerry became a "Rosie the Riveter," working nights in the lab at the Aluminum Ore Co. (now Alcoa). She was proud of the contributions she and the other women made to the war effort, helping create materials for aircraft and military vehicles. When the war ended and the men came home, the women lost their jobs.
Jerry went back to being a full-time homemaker and when daughter Jerri was 6 years old, the family moved to Oak Cliff in Dallas, Texas, at the urging of one of Ray's Marine Corps buddies. There, they had two more daughters, Pamela and Robyn. They spent two weeks camping in Colorado every summer; made trips to Minnesota, Alabama, Virginia and California to visit relatives; and enjoyed several Caribbean island vacations that Ray earned through his job.
Jerry was always good at taking care of people, but still, it came as a surprise to her children when she decided to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse when she was almost 50. She went to school, got her license, and worked as an LVN in a clinic for almost 20 years.
Jerry and Ray were active members of Tyler Street Methodist Church in Dallas until they retired and moved to Whitney, Texas, where they began attending a rural Baptist Church. There they joined Texas Baptist Builders, traveling around the state remodeling and constructing churches.
In the 1980s, Jerry and Ray moved to New Braunfels, Texas, to be closer to their daughter and her family in San Antonio. They became active in the First Baptist Church in New Braunfels, participating in the church's SonShine Singers and puppet ministry.
Jerry took care of her husband for two years until he died from mesothelioma in 2008. After that, she purchased and oversaw remodeling of a home in New Braunfels, while continuing her church activities and joining a gym's senior-citizen exercise program. One day she drove up to the gym for her exercise class and discovered that its doors were padlocked as the result of a bankruptcy.
That was the deciding moment for Jerry; in September 2011, she moved to Adante Senior Living in San Antonio to be closer to her daughter. She was among Adante's first residents, immediately becoming an unofficial social director, taking it upon herself to ensure that newer residents felt welcome. In her late 90s, Jerry decided to take up painting, which she had always wanted to do. She greatly enjoyed her weekly lessons from artist Andrei, and soon filled her apartment with her colorful artwork.
Jerry survived the difficult years of World War II, the loss of her beloved husband, cancer and chemotherapy at age 92, a broken hip, and other setbacks, but until the end, never lost her positive outlook on life, her cheerful personality and her sense of humor.
Jerry was preceded in death by an infant brother, her older brother Truman Croy, sister-in-law Elizabeth Croy, and son-in-law Dennis Montgomery. She leaves behind her daughters and their families, Jerri Sudderth (Bill), Minneapolis, Minn.; Pamela Salazar (Ignacio), San Antonio, Texas; and Robyn Eoff, Williamsburg, Va.; grandchildren Darcy Sudderth (Galen Hersey), Minneapolis; Kelsey Carignan (Mark), Roseville, Minn.; Elisa Salazar, Chicago, Ill.; Miguel Salazar (Concepción), Austin, Texas; great-grandchildren Zachary and Oliver Hersey, Chiara Carignan, and Eva and Camila Salazar; and niece and nephew Ruth Hansen (John) and Jan Croy (Margarita), of the San Marcos area.
The family would like to thank the Adante staff, Michelle of Comfort Keepers, and her wonderful caregivers – most recently, Angela, Kim, Kassie, Tammy, Alex and Amanda – for the loving care and attention they provided to Jerry.
Interment will be at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at a later date.
As Jerry always said to her Texas Baptist Builders friends, "See you down the road."
Porter Loring Mortuary
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