Geraldine Louise Ossman

Geraldine Louise Ossman, age 75, passed away on September 28, 2021 at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. She was born on December 11, 1945 in Detroit to the late Roy Merrill and Louise Geraldine Ossman. Geri was a resident of East Lansing for 50 years.

Geri completed her higher education at Michigan State University. There she received a bachelors in social science, a masters in adult and continuing education and obtained a teacher certification in elementary education K-8. Her concentrations were in social studies and language arts.

Teaching was Geri’s passion. Her love for education, children and her Catholic faith left a lasting imprint on anyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. Geri taught at Lansing Community College and in the Haslett Public School system but spent the majority of her teaching career in private schools. She was a teacher at St. Mary’s in Williamston, St. Martha’s in Okemos and finished her career at St. Thomas Aquinas (STA) in East Lansing. Geri was an employee of STA for 18 years. There she worked at the Catholic Formation Office from 2001-2006 and then as a teacher (2nd grade and preschool) from 2006-2020.

Students remember Geri for her zest for life and learning. She put love into everything she brought into the classroom. She sang with her students by the piano and watched monarchs hatch from their catalysts. She loved feeding the birds so students could get an up close view of these special creatures. Her favorite field trip was taking the children to the Detroit Institute of Art to learn about Diego Rivera. She saw everything in the world as her inspiration to educate children.

Teaching children about Jesus was extremely important to Geri. She wanted children to understand how much God loved them and wanted them to see the beauty he created for us in this world. While teaching at STA, Geri completed a Montessori based religious education course for children 3 to 9 years old. The program is entitled “Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.” She integrated this in her daily teaching methods as it allowed children to know Jesus in an intimate and engaging way.

Geri was a gifted writer. She wrote a book entitled “The Slip of the Moon”. This book was inspired by the loss of her mother who passed away from Alzheimer's disease. The title of the book, “The Slip of the Moon”, was meant to be a visual representation that illustrated her personal experience of watching a person that is whole slowly slip away. She reminded those around her that like a moon, none of us are whole all of the time. She felt it was important that we were slow to judge, quick to forgive and to be filled with understanding for what others may be going through.

Geri’s hobbies included singing in the church choir, playing the piano, book clubs, cooking, preaching, gardening, pets, traveling to northern michigan and attending Michigan State sporting events. While at her house you would often find Geri in the garden, whether it was planting new flowers or hosting an outdoor party. In the summer she traveled with her family to her favorite place Frankfort, Michigan. Frankfort was a gift she gave to her family as a beautiful place to create memories that would last a lifetime.

Despite her many talents, Geri’s greatest love was her three children. She was involved in every aspect of their lives from their schooling, work, daily life and leisure. There is no place she would rather be than with her children. She taught them to be loving, passionate, understanding, grateful and determined as she modeled these behaviors everyday of her own life.

She was a loving mother to Nicole Anne Cuva and her husband Jay, Christopher Joseph Gradwohl and his wife Nina, and Louise Marie Henderson and her husband Paul; proud grandmother to Austin Cuva; sister to the late Thomas Ossman; sister-in-law and dear friend to Dessa Ossman; aunt to Mark Ossman and Jeremi Ossman; and great aunt to Brady Ossman, Brennan Ossman, Vann Tate, Sterling Tate and Mila Tate.

A visitation for Geraldine will be held Friday, October 15, 2021 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 1730 East Grand River Ave, East Lansing, MI 48823. A visitation will occur Saturday, October 16, 2021 from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Saint Thomas Aqunias Parish, 955 Alton Rd, East Lansing, MI 48823. A Funeral Mass will occur Saturday, October 16, 2021 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Saint Thomas Aqunias Parish, 955 Alton Rd, East Lansing, MI 48823.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.greastlansing.com for the Ossman family.