Geraldine Mae Reichert

Born to Conrad Hoff and Catherine nee Altergott September 22, 1936 Gerri was the third of four siblings. She had an enormous zest for life and loved all her family and friends with boundless fervor. Gerri enjoyed all things athletic, participated in the few sports available to girls, and became a cheerleader for Windsor High School. After high school she traveled the USA with her aunt Berty, and became a telephone operator. When her high school sweetheart, Donald LeRoy Reichert, returned from Korea they resumed dating and married July 27th 1958. One year later, less ten days, their son Mark was born. Gerri doted on him with unbridled love and pride. Being a mother was Gerri’s greatest joy. Don worked for Monfort Feedlots, and they bought a home in Greeley. It was there that her second son, Michael, was born. Again her love knew no bounds and she showered both boys with her joy. These two boys were her reason for existing and neither ever knew even a fraction of a second of doubt of her absolute love for all of their lives.

Gerri took a job as a teller at the First National Bank of Greeley. It was a career she loved since it involved interacting with customers all the time, and she was excellent at it because it fit perfectly with her outgoing personality. Though the banks changed throughout the decades the job stayed the same, and her sea of friends grew.

The sports stayed with her too. She was there for every school event, sport or otherwise, cheering and encouraging. She and Don did league bowling (Geri once bowled a perfect game!) and even bought season tickets to the Denver Broncos. Gerri never missed a game, even when the Zephyrs played instead, and would take her “z-buddy” when Don would rather stay home. The Rockies were another favorite team.

Traveling with her best friend, sister Florence, and their cadre of pals she visited many great cities. Geri even won a Hawaiian vacation from a radio station. That trip added many memories to recount later. When the boys were young they took vacations to the mountains. Later she and Don often took day trips at the spur of the moment, occasionally weekend trips, and a few cross country road trips.

Gerri always knew her neighbors. Walking all about her neighborhoods while bouncing and catching a tennis ball she befriended all passersby, expanding her ocean of friends/acquaintances, and making sure everyone knew about her boys. There has never been a baby she didn't love. No matter when or where, all babies and their mothers were complimented and praised, and hugged. Everyone she knew got hugs, that was just the way it was.

The family moved from Greeley to a couple of farms, then Eaton, Windsor when Mark left home, Lakewood when Michael left home, and lastly Greeley again; a full circle, almost. Michael was denied the final move. He was murdered in 2000. This very nearly ended Gerri's life. The grief and loss were so exponentially profound and unending that she came too close to simply withering away. Eventually, after years of hopelessness and pain, she rallied herself for Don and Mark, but the old life was gone; they had all been changed into different people. The family co-founded Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, a non-profit which they all devoted their lives to for more than a decade. The emotional and physical repercussions of her precious Michael's murder started a cataclysm of physical declines in the here-to-fore vibrantly healthy Gerri, which compounded endlessly over the years to eventually take her life on June 20th 2025.

Despite the myriad maladies heaped upon her little body she always effused unconditional love on her friends and family, and never failed to maintain her gracious and welcoming persona for all of them. As time and health persistently stole her physical enjoyments, one by one, rather than sulk she dedicated herself to things she could do like working logic puzzles and religiously sending cads, even during her last week she sent cards. She and Mark played table games and ate together every day since 2021 with their last hand of Hand and Foot being played only three days before when she won $5.25.

Gerri never lost her faith, even in her blackest hours. She is rejoicing in reuniting with her husband and son, her parents, her siblings: Florence Brungard, Kenneth Hoff, and Larry Hoff, and her in-laws Benjamin and Mildred (Blehm) Reichert, and brothers in-law Vernon Brungard, Richard Swanson and Melvin Reichert, and an ocean of many more.