Geraldine "Gerry" Munson

Geraldine "Gerry" Ruby Munson, age 95 of New Hampton, IA passed away on Monday, October 8, 2018 in Madison, WI Funeral services for Gerry will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at Jerico Lutheran Church with Reverend Bernt Tweit officiating. Burial will be at Jerico Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 PM on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at Conway-Markham Funeral Home in New Hampton, IA. Visitation will continue at the church one hour prior to the funeral services on Wednesday. Online condolences for Gerry's family may be left at www.conway-markhamfh.com. Memorials may be directed to the family. Gerry was born on May 4, 1923, in Chickasaw County, Iowa, the eldest of four children to Alfred N. and Gena (Hagen) Anderson. Geraldine was baptized and confirmed in the Jerico Lutheran Church by the Rev. H. M. Tjernagel. She attended the rural school of Jacksonville Township District No. 2. Geraldine graduated from New Hampton High School with the Class of 1940. She taught grades 1-8 for two years at the same rural school where she received her elementary education. During World War II, she also served as an air traffic controller in Minneapolis. On Nov. 22, 1944, Geraldine was united in marriage to Paul L. Munson at Jerico Lutheran Church. They became parents of three children, Bradley Dean, Barbara Ann, and Bruce Edward. Geraldine was first and foremost a mother and homemaker, but had various jobs after the children were grown. In Oshkosh she sold Watkins products door to door; worked for Standard Kohlsman, the makers of television tuners, for about five years; and then became a dental assistant and office manager for Dr. Purtell. After her family moved to Glendale, Geraldine worked for a Universal Telephone department head as an administrative assistant for eleven years, until her retirement in 1988. Geraldine and Paul enjoyed travelling and felt fortunate to have taken many nice trips both in the United States and abroad. Their first overseas trip was to visit Brad and Danna and their two young daughters in Germany, where they stayed for a month and toured France and the Scandinavian countries. They also took a trip to the British Isles with a group from Concordia College. They had a great visit to Norway with Barbara and her then-husband David Markham in 1998, and an equally enjoyable trip to England and Norway with Bruce and Ann in 1999. Their last venture out of the United States was a tour to eastern Canada shortly after Sept 11, 2001. Geraldine is survived by her children, Bradley (Danna), Barbara Munson, and Bruce (Ann); five grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; and sister, Lana Mae Tapken. She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul; her parents; a toddler brother, Alton Gene, who died in 1942; and her brother, Ronald N. Anderson.