Obituary for Geraldine Nesbit

Geraldine “Geri” Nesbit

(May 7, 1932 – February 5, 2017)

Geraldine “Geri” Nesbit passed peacefully on February 5, 2017 after a long battle with cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

Geri was the second born of twin daughters born to Ira and Florence Stover on May 7, 1932 in Iowa City, Iowa. Upon her graduation from Iowa City High School in 1950, Geri attended the University of Iowa where she met Kenton E. Nesbit. They wed on December 6, 1952 in Iowa City and then moved to Lawton, OK. After two years in Oklahoma, Geri and Kent moved back to Iowa City so Kent could attend University of Iowa Dental School. Upon Kent’s graduation, they moved several times living in Texas and Oklahoma. During this time Geri was busy as a homemaker, raising her family while Kent served as a dental officer in the Public Health Service. She was a loving mom to her children, Linda, Kirk, Karen and Scott. When Kent left the Public Health Service, her family moved to Ponca City, OK where Geri provided office support for Kenton’s fledgling dental practice. After a couple years in Ponca City, her family moved to Tonkawa, OK in 1964 where they started what was to become a successful dental practice.

Geri spent years as an active member of the Tonkawa community. She loved bridge, sewing, dancing, aqua exercise, flower gardening, shopping, traveling and new adventures. Her various jobs, besides caring for her four children and her husband included helping with the billing at the dental office, serving as a travel agency assistant and various entrepreneurial sewing business ventures. Geri was a talented seamstress spending many hours sewing clothing for herself and her family. She taught her daughters and daughters-in-law to sew as well as teaching community service classes in garment construction at Northern Oklahoma College. Geri was always available to shower that special grandma love to her grandchildren. Her grandma intelligence allowed her to thoughtfully answer the hard questions like where the water on the road goes, why is the sky blue and what’s a virgin. Her grandchildren enjoyed a special nurturing relationship with their grandmother. In her later years, Geri and her twin sister, Joan, enjoyed a joint business venture sewing and selling potato pouches, tortilla pouches, curling iron travel bags, casserole carriers, aprons and more.

Geri is survived by her husband of 64 years, Kenton E. Nesbit, her twin sister Joan Schneobelen, her brother, Gary Stover and their families, her four children, their spouses, many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ira and Florence Stover. Geri was truly loved by all of her family. We were blessed to have her as the center of our family. We always knew she loved us above all else.

A memorial ceremony to celebrate Geri’s life will be held at 2:00pm Friday, February 10, 2017 in the Chapel at Trout Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Tonkawa formerly Anderson Funeral Home. We ask that in lieu of flowers , please consider donations in Geri’s honor, to Hospice of North Central Oklahoma, 445 Fairview Ave., Ponca City, OK 74601

Source: Trout Funeral Home