Geraldine P. Jaroch

In all of Her Wonder, Mother Nature gracefully reclaims all that She had given over the past 96 years, on September 11, 2026, as Gerre (Geraldine) Domzalski Jaroch returns to her simplest form. The billions, and billions, and billions of atoms that made up who she was -- oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus primarily, with other trace elements, are now returned to the collective whole on this blue-green planet and the greater universe, temporary interlopers most grateful for their time composing this incredible human being, a wonder in her own right. 

Tiny pieces of her soulful heart, with the honesty of Val (Valentine), became part of her eleven children, twenty-one grandchildren, and twenty-five great grandchildren along with so many others who crossed paths with Gerre. With roots in Detroit, Romeo, Utica, Roseville, Canada, Grand Rapids, Rochester, Florida (Coral Gables), Ocqueoc, Petoskey, and all the other places visited, she always greeted others with her genuine beauty. 

First and foremost, she was a mother, always a mother, even when her children navigated adulthood. She truly cared about their overall well-being, wanting to know that they were always fine. Gerre was a mother with unconditional love for her children. What child could ask for more? 

In Romeo, she poured her heart into educating young learners in the Romeo Community Schools. She was a cornerstone in the St. Clements Catholic Church community outreach programs: teaching CCD and as a Christian Service Chair member. In Rogers City she volunteered wholly for Hospice, eighteen years and also within St. Ignatius Church community as Eucharistic Minister and Greeter. In her final years, in Petoskey, she became a force for truly heartfelt good programming in her senior living community – A Basket Full of Love, Simply Social, and Good Neighbors, that she spearheaded with others in that community. 

Her children and grandchildren were part of her summer and fall food processing. Corn, apples, peaches, tomatoes, and blueberries were picked, processed to be enjoyed during the colder days of the yearly calendar. When the grandchildren made the trip to northern Michigan, Grams would gather them all after a hardy dinner and she would read to them. Gerre was a constant teacher. 

In the moments she could set aside for herself, Gerre read books constantly – always on a first name basis with any librarian that lent her books. She tended to her vast flower garden, spring to late fall. Her feathered friends were so grateful – summer focused on the humming birds while fall through winter: sunflower seeds and thistle feeders were kept full. Even the squirrels received peanuts. Writing short stories and poems to share with her family and friends also was an act of love. When writing Letters to the Editor, she was not bashful about sharing her opinions. 

In regards to what made Gerre, Mom, Grams, Great-Grams, most unique, anyone in her circle of love, could always count on receiving some manner of a written note from her – emails as she kept up with the times. Whether a thank-you note, an ‘I’m thinking of you’, or her famous handmade birthday cards, she was sure to make direct written contact with each person in her life. 

When Gerre hugged, she did so with all of her heart and that gesture was genuine, authentic. Each recipient of this gift would truly feel it deeply. When she shed a tear, all felt her sadness and tissues were always close at hand. When crossing paths with Gerre she most likely shared a bit of her joy, usually eliciting a smile. She was a people-person completely. 

Through the laughter and tears, the victories and roadblocks, Gerre and Val ventured through their nearly twenty-five thousand days, surely for each other, but mostly for all of those that became part of their union so long ago. 

Given her 96 years on this blue-green planet, Gerre courageously embodied many roles as a glorious matriarch: wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend, teacher, volunteer, human being, and formidable intellectual. Her billions and billions of atoms have been released, hurtling through time and space, to once again be part of this world and the greater universe. Gerre’s lasting legacy, the aspects that made her so memorable and unique will live on within so many of us, never to be cleaved but forever nurtured. It’s a wonder (her final mantra during her last days)