Barbara A. Gerardi
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Rochester: Saturday, February 8, 2025 at age 82. Predeceased by her parents, Richard and Anna Haines; her husband, Joseph J. Gerardi, Jr. Survived by her children, Joseph R. Gerardi, Anne-Marie Conn; grandchildren, Dustin DiPaulo, Jacob and Carissa Girolamo; her siblings, Judy Nelson, Joan Farrell, Kathy Handy; many nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends.
Friends may call Friday (Feb 14th) 4-7 PM at Vay-Schleich and Meeson, 1075 Long Pond Road. Her Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday (Feb 15th) 9:30 AM at St. Charles Borromeo Church. Entombment, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Summerville Nursery School in her memory.
My beautiful sister — I cherish the many times we spent together. Your ever-present, gentle spirit will remain in the many hearts you touched with your kind ways. Thank you for being the gentle soul you are, and for being such an important part of not only my life, and our family, but of so many. Your love of teaching children, your amazing sewing skills with which you created hundreds of quilts, clothes, and other things, and your love of family and community, sharing God’s light with all you touched, will remain a truthful inspiration for all of us. You lived your faith. That’s the greatest gift anyone could give or receive. May all of us learn from your example and carry on in your footsteps.
To my sweet sister Barbara. I’ll miss the phone calls we shared and our love for Children, God, and family. We shared many interesting times that I will cherish and hold dear. May you laugh and be free with Jesus and our family up in Heaven. A special Angel got her wings named Barbara! Love you always! Your sister Joan
From all of us at Summerville nursery school our deepest condolences. I only had the pleasure of meeting Barb 1 time but her memory at Summerville will live on. I teach in her classroom now and we have toys with Gerardi written on the bottom. She is still with us at Summerville. May God Bless Barb and her family and friends. – LoriAnn Kessler
Mrs. Gerardi was my son’s nursery school teacher, and I will always remember her kindness and gentle spirit. As part of the co-op school, I had the opportunity to spend time in the classroom and see firsthand the warmth and patience she showed each child. Even as my son began to show signs of being on the spectrum, she remained dedicated to reaching him, offering understanding and encouragement. Her culturally rich curriculum introduced the children to the beauty of the world at such a young age, leaving a lasting impact. We were truly grateful that my son had her during those early, formative years.
Love and prayers are sent to my dear sister, Barbara. She was a fun sister who loved to sew and make many outfits for her many dolls. She grew up to be a nursery school teacher and loved working with the children in her classes. She enjoyed making vests to wear every day to class. Over the years she made 100 of these wonderful vests from Valentine’s Day, to Easter, to Christmas and every holiday or special day of the school year. The kids must have loved seeing which vest she would wear. She was married to Joseph Gerardi and has two wonderful children, Joseph and Anne Marie. We loved her as our dear sister and they loved their mother. God Bless you, Barbara. You are loved and missed. 🩷🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💗
I remember Barb from our Summerville Nursery school days. She had all 3 of my boys in her 1 year and 4 year old classes. I will always remember her warm and generous spirit and her love of all the children. My thoughts and prayers go out to her loving family.
Barb was a special teacher and friend. Her dedication to Early Childhood Education was unbelievable.She impacted my life in so many ways. My daughter Liza was definitely influenced by her too.She taught the parents too. How to be present in their child’s education and prepared each day for events happening in the classroom.Barb touched some many lives at Summerville but her biggest love was for her family.Thank you for all the lessons Mrs . Gerardi
I’m sorry for your loss Anne-Marie, Joseph, Dustin, Jacob& Carissa.
I have some very nice memories of her. I remember helping at her school when Jacob was in her class and I remember helping her get all her supplies to school in the fall at times. Barb was like a movie star when out in public with her, everyone knew her because of all the children she taught over the years. I was always in awe of the way people lit up when they ran into her.
I’ll always cherish the holidays at her home and watching the Yankee games with her husband Joe and all of us. Barb was a very strong woman and i always admired her for everything she did for Joe when he became ill and they were always there for the kids when needed. Very special people! I know she’s resting in peace now. I’ll never forget you Barbara Gerardi. RIP, God bless you all.
My grandma was one of the most special people I have ever met. From the day I was born to the day she passed she showered me with unconditional love, guidance, and support. Growing up, I always loved to spend time with my grandma the most. She use to take me to do all sorts of fun things; zoo, movies, museums, feeding the ducks (our favorite) and so much more. She loved spending time with her family, more than anything. She also was one heck of an early childhood educator. She has a way with children like I’ve never seen before. She touched each child’s life that she worked with and cared so deeply about every single one of them. She inspired my career in teaching and I hope I am able to be half the teacher that she was. To know my grandma is to love her, and boy did I love her. Thank you all for your nice comments, they truly mean a lot. May her memory live on forever and may we all strive to be more like Barbra Gerardi. You will be so missed but I know that you are finally at peace with grandpa, the absolute love of your life, in heaven. I love you grandma.
Barb and I have been friends since we started college in Oneonta in the 60s. I went to Barb and Joe’s wedding and they were here in north Germany for our 25th (35 years ago). Over the years we often met in the Oneonta area or in Rochester and once she came to see us here in Europe after Joe’s passing. Barb was such a pleasant person to be with!! She had a great smile and her thoughtfulness of others couldn’t be exceeded. Such optomistic people are seldom. Somehow we lost contact the last few years, but her church and C.M. helped me find her. A big THANK YOU for this and God Bless You! I miss her, too.
I taught with Barb at Summerville – she was one of the most dedicated teachers I ever worked with. We attended numerous workshops and trainings together to become better at our jobs and she was always so excited to get back and implement the ideas with her students. Barb had the first room in our school’s hallway and some mornings trying to get to my classroom took a while – she always had so much to share. 🙂 I miss those days.
I will miss Barbara’s presence in the world. Much love to Anne-Marie, Joseph, and your families. She was a true gift to so many – children and adults.