Mrs. Geraldine L. "Gerry" Strong's Obituary
Geraldine L. “Gerry” Strong, 86, of Yucaipa, died on December 22, 2014. Gerry was born November 15, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri, the only child of Claude Volney Payne, Jr. and Opal R. Payne. After the family moved to Los Angeles, Gerry met her future husband, Richard Wm. Strong, at Glendale Presbyterian Church. Richard and Gerry married in 1957. Gerry worked as a secretary while putting her husband through law school. In 1962, Gerry left the work force to stay at home following the birth of her first child, Ellen. In 1966, after the birth of their second child, Karen, the family moved to Yucaipa. When her children reached their teens, Gerry turned her lifelong passion for antiques into a career. Her business evolved from a single table, to a booth at an antique mall, culminating in operation of “The Olde Hollow Tree” shop in Oak Glen until she was forced to give up the business in order to care for her mother in her old age. Gerry conquered breast cancer over 20 years ago and was blessed with good health until 2012, when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She fought the disease with grace and dignity, rarely complaining of pain while enduring over 18 months of chemotherapy. Gerry was preceded in death by her parents and husband, and is survived by her daughters, Ellen Strong Dias of Reno, Nevada, and Karen Strong Hagler of Carlsbad, California. She will be remembered for her love of the color pink, her inability to resist a sign advertising a yard sale, and most of all her love for her family and God.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund or charity of your choice.
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