Geraldine Rose Colclazier

Geraldine Rose "Gerry" Colclazier, age 86, Aberdeen, formerly of Garden City, the widow of Lloyd "Bud" Colclazier, died peacefully on Saturday night, June 8, 2013 in the Avera Mother Joseph Manor in Aberdeen where she had resided since May of 2011. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 12, 2013 from 4-6PM at the Furness Funeral Home Chapel at Clark and will continue after noon at the Church in Garden City on Thursday. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 2:00PM in the Garden City United Methodist Church with The Reverend Jen Tyler officiating. Burial will follow in the Garden City Cemetery. Dorothy Fuller will be the organist with special music by David & Carol Finstad. The staff of the Avera Retirement Center, especially Mother Joseph Manor, should consider themselves as honorary casketbearers. The active casketbearers will be Bruce, Donald and Douglas Trebil, Daryl Anderson, Matt Krucker and Nicholas Colclazier. She was born Geraldine Rose Bonfoey on April 18, 1927 at Garden City, SD, the daughter of Edwin and Rose (Schaefer) Bonfoey. She attended school at Garden City and graduated from Garden City High School in 1945. Following high school she attended Northern Normal Teacher's College at Aberdeen and obtained her certificate and taught country school for a short time. Gerry studied nursing training at the Bartron Hospital in Watertown until her marriage. On March 10, 1948 she was united in marriage to Lloyd Ellsworth "Bud" Colclazier at the Good Tidings Chapel (later called the Wesleyan Church) at Garden City. They lived in town for a short time before moving to a farm 1 ½ miles south of Garden City. In 1961 they moved to a dairy/poultry farm east of Tulare which they operated until 1970 at which time they moved into Redfield. In October of 1989 they returned to Garden City living there until the summer of 2001. Bud died suddenly in December of 2001. Gerry continued making Redfield her home until health issues forced her to move to Aberdeen in 2006. Gerry will long be remembered for her warm soul and kind and caring ways, working for over 22 years as a dorm parent supervisor at the South Dakota Developmental Center. She never was afraid of working on the farm either or riding the potato harvester. Many will also remember her love of baking, always having something fresh baked, along with a cup of coffee and a good visit. She also enjoyed crocheting, traveling, spending winters in Texas, having a keen sense of humor - with a big smile - and second to none was her love of family, tending to many of their needs over the years. Her God and church family played a very important role in her life as well, currently holding her membership in the Wesleyan Church at Redfield. Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband Bud, son-in-law, Robert Geramita, siblings, Byrl & James Bonfoey, and brother-in-law, Lester McGillivary. Grateful for having shared in her life are her children, Nancy (Kervin) Simonson of Aberdeen, Robert (Roberta) Colclazier of Redfield, Debora Geramita of Aberdeen and Randy Colclazier of Redfield, 6 grandchildren, Sharon, Matthew, Jennifer, Angela, Sara and Nicholas; 4 great-grandchildren, Zachary, Jacob, Riley and Addison, siblings, Lois McGillivary of Clark, Paul (Pat) Bonfoey of Sioux Falls, John (Jane) Bonfoey of Loveland, CO; sister-in-law, Joyce Bonfoey of North Pole, Alaska and 2 grand dogs, Izzy & Skeeter of Aberdeen. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Avera Mother Joseph Manor, 1002 N. Jay St., Aberdeen, SD 57401, Attn: Chapel Renovation." Funeral arrangements are by the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com