A funeral Mass for Sister Geraldine Grabow was celebrated Oct. 21 at Nazareth Living Center Chapel in south St. Louis County. Sister “Gerrie,” a longtime educator, died Oct. 9 at Nazareth Living Center. She was 79 and a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet for 60 years.
She born on March 23, 1941, in Denver to Harold Heegaard and Adren Marie (Nevans) Grabow. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph on Sept. 15, 1959, and was received as Sister Adrienne Marie. She made her final profession on Aug. 6, 1967.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Fontbonne College in 1964 and master’s degrees in English from Saint Louis University in 1971 and in secondary education administration from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, in 1976.
For the first four years of her ministry work, beginning in 1964, Sister Gerrie taught at Redemptorist High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Four years later, she taught at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta. In 1969, she went on to teach for the next six years at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florissant. Then, for nearly two years, she taught at Academy of Our Lady/Spalding in Peoria, Illinois.
In 1977, she stepped out of the classroom and was secretary at St. Cecilia School in St. Louis. Sister Gerrie returned to the classroom and St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where she taught from 1980 to 1984. She then moved back to Kansas City to teach at the CSJ-sponsored St. Teresa’s Academy, which lasted for 13 years.
After a year’s time in transition, remaining in the Kansas City area, Sister Gerrie worked in customer service — accounts receivable — at Cornerstone Health Services from 1998 to 2001. She also worked as a library technician for Parks & Recreation Planning and Design Services from 2001 to 2002, and then provided in home service for CSJ Care Home Care-Kansas City through 2003.
Sister Gerrie retired in 2004. Since 2008, she had resided at Nazareth Living Center, carrying out her mission of prayer and presence.
Burial was in Resurrection Cemetery.
