Geraldine "Geri" V. Hess

Geraldine (Geri) V. Hess, 87, of Onalaska, WI, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 6th, 2021. She was born on February 17th, 1934 in La Crosse, WI, to Herb and Bernice (LeJeune) Schroeder. She married Daniel Hess on May 11th, 1954 and is survived by five children; Terri (John) Pedace of La Crosse and their daughters Angela and Anna Pedace; Jan (Dave) Belmore of Burnsville, MN, and their daughters Brianna (Logan Mortenson) Belmore and Natalie (Justin) Morterud; Don (Ann) Hess of Coon Valley and his children Dana (Fred) Heider and Jordan (Alana) Hess; Mike (Kris) Hess of Coon Valley and their children Greg (Kelsey) Hess and Karina (Andrew) Siebenaler; and Bob (Mary) Hess of Coon Valley and their children Jenna Hess, Dani (Casey) Hess, Hayden (Myranda) Hess, Adam Hess, Josi Hess and Noah Hess.

In addition to her children and grandchildren, she loved and adored her great grandchildren as well; Jack Pedace, Austin and William Heider, Lucian and Cooper Hess, Jameson Morterud, Haley and Kyla Hess, Colton and Trevin Siebenaler, Ivan Hess and Briggs Schmitt.

Geri was preceded in death by her husband Daniel, daughter Julie, and her parents, as well as her parents in-law Martin and Irene Hess, nephew Randy Schmidt, brothers/sisters in-law; Paul and Dorothy Hess, Lucille and Herb Schmidt, Mary Ann and George Rogers, Terrence Hess, Lee Strasser and Ronald Hess.

Visitation will take place on Wednesday, August 11th from 4-7pm at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home in La Crosse. Praying of the Rosary will follow at 7pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, August 12th at St Joseph Ridge Parish Church at 11am with Msgr. Robert Hundt presiding. There will be visitation one hour before Mass. Memorial donations may be directed to the charity of your choice.

Geri grew up on a dairy farm with four siblings, Ken (Rita) Schroeder, Donna (Jim) Spangler, Pat (LeRoy) Strasser, and Barb (LaVerne) Urbanek, learning the necessity and value of hard work from a young age.

Together Geri and Dan raised six children on their dairy farm in rural Coon Valley, fostering their youngsters’ participation in all aspects of farm life and instilling solid Christian values in them through the practicing of their Catholic faith. As an example of living her faith, Geri fostered several unwed mothers in her home through a Catholic Charities program in the 1960’s.

In addition to raising an active family and working alongside Dan on the farm, Geri was a waitress at Keim’s 10-Mile House and later at the New Villa in La Crosse for many years, serving lunches to hungry patrons.

Geri made sure fun was woven into their lives. She and Dan purchased a tent that slept 8 and introduced the family to the adventures of camping. Of particular fondness are the memories of camping over the 4th of July holiday at the Lot of Happiness on Lake Holcombe with all of her extended family. This tradition lasted for over 20 years, although the tent was eventually replaced by more comfortable accommodations.

This eventually led to the purchase of a motor home which allowed for exploration of the entire country while enjoying the comforts of home. Exploring Route 66 and driving the Alaska/Canadian Highway with fellow RV friends were highlights during this time. Travel to foreign lands was also part of Geri’s life, visiting such far away places as Mexico, Germany and South Africa.

Geri, the ultimate homemaker and hostess, was always willing to welcome people to the condo on St. Pete’s Beach in Florida which she and Dan bought with friends, to her lake houses at Mead Lake and later at Lake Holcombe, and also to her villa in Parrish, Florida. These vacation spots not only provided her with the opportunity to take advantage of the prevailing weather in each location, but also afforded her the opportunity to make new friends and also entertain her family and visitors to her heart’s content.

Over the years when she wasn’t entertaining, much of Geri’s leisure time was taken up with bowling, golf, cards, board games and dominos. But make no mistake about it, despite her mild mannered demeanor she was a fierce competitor! And lets not forget her puzzles. Lots and lots of puzzles. She even had a dedicated puzzle room at Lake Holcombe and decorated several walls of her cottage with some of her favorites that had been glued together.

Geri was a “Cheesehead” through and through and was always glued to the TV on Packer game days, cheering on the Green and Gold, especially when they played Da Bears. Her Packer-Backer highlight occurred in 1997 when she and Dan attended a Super Bowl party in New Orleans when The Pack played the New England Patriots. While they were unable to get tickets for the actual game, they attended a tailgate party with friends and thousands of other loyal fans just outside the Superdome.

Gardening was one of Geri’s main individual passions. When her family was young, she raised and canned fruits and vegetables, putting the summer sunshine into jars for her family to enjoy all winter. She was even known to take a salt shaker into the garden where she would snack on tomatoes right off the vine during harvest time. Later in life she transitioned to flower gardening and was the envy of her neighbors, particularly at her cottage on Lake Holcombe. She also had countless potted plants both inside and outside her condo in Onalaska.

Geri’s generosity knew no bounds and she willingly donated to many charities. In addion, she volunteered her time at Mother Cabrini Cottage, a thrift shop affiliated with her church in Florida, Manatee Memorial Hospital in Florida and at Mayo Clinic in La Crosse.

Ever proud of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Geri attended countless music and sporting events as well as school plays, honor society banquets, recognition nights, award ceremonies and graduations. She also bought all of the cookies, candy bars, magazine subscriptions and other items that the youngsters were selling to raise money.

Though she will be missed by all, Geri’s legacy of kindness, compassion, resilience and commitment to her family will be fondly remembered and treasured by all those whose lives she touched