Geraldine "Jerry" Judith Keeley

On Monday, June 14, 2021, Jerry Keeley, loving wife and mother of three children, passed away at the age of 86.

Geraldine (Jerry) Judith Hunt was born on June 9, 1935, in San Francisco, CA, to Nora and John Hunt. She graduated from Alhambra High School and then San Jose State University, forming friendships at these schools that would last her lifetime. After graduating college, Jerry immediately began travelling the world, working as a teacher for the US Department of Defense. She travelled all over Europe, the Middle East, and even into the Soviet Union as a single woman in the late 1950s and early 60s. She settled into teaching for the US Army in Germany, and there met Chief Warrant Officer Frank Keeley, an Army helicopter pilot.  It was love at first sight.  On November 16, 1963, they were married in Martinez. They raised three sons, Frank, Mike, and Jay.

Jerry and Frank settled in Petaluma, CA after Frank’s retirement from the Army.  Jerry began teaching at Miwok Valley Elementary School in the 1970s and became a mainstay there until she retired in 1999, leaving behind a legacy of hundreds of educated children. After Jerry retired from teaching, she and Frank began travelling the world again, this time on Princess Cruise Line ships. After the death of Frank in 2014, she continued taking cruises with her youngest son, Jay, until failing health prevented such trips.

Jerry was preceded in death by her parents, Nora and John; her sisters, Nora and Mary; and her husband, Frank. She is survived by her children, Frank, Mike, and Jay; her grandchildren, Jack and Avery; and several nieces and nephews. A funeral service will be held on July 17, 2021, at 11 am., at St. James Catholic Church on 125 Sonoma Mountain Parkway in Petaluma.

.