Our hearts have been saddened by the recent passing of Mary Gerianne "Geri" Shea . Ger was born in Butte, Mt on March 19,1955 to John T. and Evelyn F. Shea and passed away in her home surrounded by friends and family on March 7, 2016.
Geri attended Catholic schools in Butte, graduating from Butte Central in 1973. She then attended Carroll College, being a member of the first 4 year graduating class in Nursing in 1977. Ger was extremely proud to be a practicing nurse for nearly 40 years. One of the hardest things she had to do was retire from her nursing duties.
Nursing took Geri through many different aspects of the profession. Started as a floor nurse at The Crest Nursing Home after her graduation from Carroll. She then took a huge leap by taking a position in Honolulu Hawaii, working there for over a year. Many friends and family were happy to "have" to go visit. Upon her return to
the states, Geri took a position at the Butte Park Royal as the Night Shift Supervisor. She also had a Supervisor position in Anaconda before taking the Day Shift Supervisor position at Butte Convalescent Center. This move led her to a 31
year career at the facility. Geri had many positions at BCC/BCIU Genesis— however the past 25 years she was the Director of Nursing at the facility.
Geri had the "Heart" of a nurse. She felt the pain of every resident and family member that entered under her care. She would laugh with them, cry with them and hold them when needed. The standards were set high and she wanted everyone to receive the best care possible. For her, all that really mattered at the end of the day was that each and every resident was well cared for.
Geri was always the consummate professional. She supervised many nurses and CNA's over the years. She became a teacher, mentor, friend and family to nearly all that worked at the facility.
She was a very private person, not sharing much about herself. She was always the "big" sister to Dan, John and Becky. Never showing any sign of weakness or sickness along the way.
Her greatest joy in life was spending time with her nieces and nephews. Auntie Ger or (auntie ATM) was the center of all family functions for the kids. From water fights to acting out the Wizard of Oz, Ger was the active participant. Many miles of vacation time was logged and Ger enjoyed every minute she had with them. Her bucket list at the end still was centered around the nieces and nephews. All of them knew that she loved them dearly.
Geri is survived by her father John T. Shea, brothers Dan (Rose) Shea, John (Jan) Shea and her sister Becky (Robb) Soltesz, her companion and friend Jennelle Durkin. Nieces/Nephews: Tammy Williams (T.R.), Cindy Winston (John), Jenny Brown (Travis), Shelby Durkin Bragg (Kris), John R. Shea, Caitlin Soltesz and Quinn Soltesz. Great Nieces/Nephews: Tucker Winston, Grady Winston and Neveah Williams (coming soon Baby Girl Bragg). Geri is also survived by her aunts : Rose Mihelich, Helen Lynch and ElDeane Jacobson as well as many cousins and close friends.
She was preceded in death by her mother Evelyn F Shea, and grandparents and cousin Karen Moe.
The family would like to thank Dr. Antonioli for his years of working with and for Ger. Also, Dr Hueftle and his staff that followed Ger on this journey for the past 8 years.
A huge thank you goes out to the "support group" that helped make the last 5 weeks somewhat easier for Ger. So to Tami Farabee, Mary Immel , Amber Dayhuff, Joyce Wilkins and Sandi Stover — thank you for going above and beyond with sharing your gifts of love and friendship with Geri.
Relatives and friends may call Friday after 5:00pm at the Chapel of Duggan Dolan Mortuary. Parish Vigil services will be conducted at 7:00pm in the chapel. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday at 9:00AM in St. Ann's Church. Rite of Committal will be in Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, a Mary "Gerianne" Shea Memorial Scholarship in Nursing has been established at Carroll College. We would ask for any donation to be sent to
the Office of Institutional Advancement at Carroll College 160l N Benton Helena, MT 59625 Attn: Candi Cain earmarked for this scholarship fund.