Gerardine "Geri" Gauch

Gerardine “Geri” McCarty Gauch, 67 passed away on June 20, 2019 in Colorado Springs after a long struggle with brain cancer. Geri had been a long-time resident of Colorado Springs and had resided in Greenfield, California prior to her cancer diagnosis.

Geri was born the fourth of twelve children on May 8, 1952 to Regina Pape McCarty and Frank McCarty at the family farm near Sanborn, Iowa. In her senior year of high school, she was accepted into the Army Nursing Program. She attended Creighton University for her freshman and sophomore years of college, which included an exchange semester at Grambling College. She completed her nursing degree through the University of Maryland at the Walter Reed Army Hospital.

Upon graduation, she briefly served in Washington State before receiving orders to Seoul, South Korea. Though she only spent two years in Korea, it maintained a special place in her heart and she gravitated towards Korean art and culture throughout her life. It was in Korea that she met Jeffrey Gauch, also an Army officer, whom she married upon their return to the United States. After her marriage, Geri worked in the emerging field of neonatal intensive care.

Geri had three children with Jeff: Jeffrey Jr. “JJ”, Alicia, and Patrick. Sadly, her husband Jeff was diagnosed with brain cancer only a few months after Patrick’s birth. Despite a terminal diagnosis, Jeff survived four-and-a-half years before he ultimately passed away from his disease in 1989. Geri raised her three children as a single parent. Her children were her heart and she took every opportunity to spend time with them and reveled in their accomplishments.

After Jeff’s death, Geri decided to leave the medical field and obtained her Masters in Psychology from University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. She then obtained her Psy.D. from the University of Denver. She enjoyed the academic experience of both programs, reveling in theory and philosophy. After completion of her Psy.D., Geri worked as a psychologist for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. In this role, she provided mental health care to male inmates in a maximum-security setting. Despite often feeling demoralized, Geri began to see this work as a vocation: providing humanity to people who were cut off from society. Ultimately, Geri became a supervising psychologist, managing a team of psychologists and providing guidance and mentoring.

Geri faced her illness with characteristic pragmatism and determination. While she hoped to beat the odds and continue to live her life, she also came to be at peace with her disease. All who encountered her during this time were touched by her humor, kindness, and determination.

While Geri’s life has been cut short, her contributions continue through all those she mentored, supervised, or loved. She will be remembered for her wisdom, intellect, humor, compassion, and courage.

Particularly, she is survived by her children, Jeff Gauch, Alicia Gauch (Jonathan Bluff), and Patrick Gauch, as well as her two grandchildren, Áine Bluff and Crisanto Bluff. She is also survived by her siblings Mary McCarty, Carol McCarty, Jane McCarty, Joe McCarty, Fran (Jim) Crotty, Greg (Polly) McCarty, Donald (Karen) McCarty, John (Blanca) McCarty, Edward (Julie) McCarty, and Michael (Lisa) McCarty, her sisters-in-law Susan Gauch Hall and Susan Ebba Gauch, as well as numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. She is pre-deceased by her husband Jeffrey Gauch, her parents Regina Pape McCarty and Francis McCarty, her brother Charles McCarty, her parents-in-law John “Jack” Gauch and Jeanne Langdon Gauch and brothers-in-law Craig Gauch and Terry “Rabbitt” Carter.

Visitation will occur on July 8, 2019 from 4-8 pm at Swan Law Funeral Directors, 501 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs. Funeral services will be held at 9 AM on July 9, 2019 at Swan Law Funeral Directors, followed by a reception at the funeral home. Burial service with military honors will be held at 1 pm on July 9, 2019 at Fort Logan National Cemetery, 3698 S. Sheridan Blvd., Denver, CO 80236.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) or your local animal shelter in Geri’s memory.