Geraldine Rose Dwight

Geraldine Rose Dwight, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully in her sleep on December 30th, 2025 at her home in Phoenix. She was 94 years old.

Geraldine was known to friends as Geri, and affectionately called “Rosie” by her husband and “Grandma Rosie” by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was strong, independent, stubborn, kind, loving, and proud. She loved her family, tending her rose garden, and making her home a warm and welcoming place for all. She drank her chardonnay with ice cubes and would chastise you for a stingy pour. She loved pink polish on her toes and if she wore a hat it was bedazzled with rhinestones.

Geri was born on September 26th, 1931 in Wickenburg, AZ and grew up with her parents, Daisy and Ernest Dickie, and siblings Ernestine, Norma, and Larry at the Vulture Gold Mine near Wickenburg. Her early years were filled with adventure, exploring the rugged beauty of the desert, and the wilderness that surrounded her. Those early years instilled an independent and resilient spirit that carried her through every stage of her life.

Geri began her education in a one room schoolhouse while living at the Vulture Mine. Later, she and her family moved to the town of Wickenburg where she continued her education in middle school and high school. She graduated from Wickenburg High School in 1949 where she was Valedictorian and Homecoming Queen. After High School, Geri enrolled at the University of Arizona, joining Alpha Phi Sorority, and majoring in Elementary Education. While at the U of A, she met her future husband and lifelong love, Jim. They were married in December of 1950. Geri graduated with a B.A. in Education. A gifted educator, she taught 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades and was a founding teacher of Pueblo Elementary School in Scottsdale, where she taught until her retirement.

Geri was the matriarch of a large and loving family. She worked to make her home a welcoming gathering place for family and friends. Her home was open to everyone. Her children and grandchildren treasure the memories of time spent in her kitchen, where they perched on countertops, measuring, mixing, and sneaking tastes as they learned to cook by her side.

One of the family’s greatest blessings is that Geri was able to spend one final Christmas Eve in her home, surrounded by loved ones, laughter, stories, and the enduring traditions she helped create. She was once again at the heart of her family where she most loved to be.

Geri is preceded in death by her husband, Jim, and the family finds comfort in knowing that the two were reunited in heaven to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary. She will be deeply missed and forever cherished by her daughter Debbie Voris and her husband John, daughter Sherilyn Sandor and her husband Joseph, son James Jr, and son Greg and his wife Marcie, twelve grandchildren, and twenty-eight great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, January 6th at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley.

In every rose that blooms, her spirit will live on.