Geraldine S. Poole

Geraldine Skergan Poole, the daughter of Veronica Ryan and Joseph J. Skergan, died peacefully at home at the age of 98 on June 5, with her family around her.  She was predeceased by her husband James Purvis Poole, her brothers Joseph, Vincent, James and Philip, and her sisters Marge and Janice.

Gerrie graduated from Ramsey High School in Mt Pleasant, but waited, not so patiently, until her 40s to enter university and study English literature.  Always an avid reader, she went on to get both her B.A. and her MFA in English.  She was a wonderful writer, including hilarious letters sent to CEOs of General Electric and Maytag complaining about sub-standard appliances, and a wry, feminist essay on Chaucer’s Wife of Bath which she read, knees shaking, at an English literature conference, while a graduate student.  A gifted and generous teacher, she was immediately hired to teach remedial English at Penn State University’s DuBois campus, where she gave many students the tools to thrive in a university setting.  

Gerrie loved people and she saw the best in everybody she met.  She faced challenges—and there were quite a few as she aged—with inspiring courage and optimism.   She had a keen sense of humour and a passion for puns—often very silly ones—that would make her weak with laughter.  She was an ace amateur golfer, collecting many trophies over the years. She and Jim spearheaded the campaign to build a golf course in Brockway, where she coached many novice golfers.  Gerrie and Jim both loved to ski, and they helped to construct a small ski slope with a rope tow, also in Brockway. Their cross country-skiing parties were legendary, done in style with backpacks full of hot food.

The Skergans are a musical family, and Gerrie was no exception, playing the piano in a dance band as a young woman, accompanying choruses, and singing in a barber shop quartet and with the DuBois Choral Society.  

Her great joy in her last years was the group of dear friends who met every Sunday and Wednesday for an afternoon of intense bridge games.  Gerrie never failed to say, “Oh, we had SO much fun!”  She revelled in meeting new people, so that group of friends was constantly expanding.  

Gerrie is survived by her daughters Barbara and her husband, William Papendick; Elissa and her partner, Tim Pickstone; Ellen and her husband Jim Dwyer; and by her sister-in-law, Roberta Skergan.  There are four grandchildren, Joseph, Elissa, Hilary, and Geoffrey, and one great-grand daughter, Addison Geraldine.  The family is immensely grateful for the hospice care Gerrie received in her final days.  They also thank Gerrie’s caregiver Cindy, whose gentle expertise Gerrie so much valued.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Brockway Presbyterian Church student loan fund or the Greensburg Library.

There will be a memorial gathering at Redmont Community Center, Saturday, June 8 from 2 pm – 4 pm.