Jerry Martin

Geraldine Keegan Martin, age 84, of Memphis, Tennessee passed away on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Geraldine was born March 30, 1938 in Brooklyn, New York on Flatbush Avenue. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas and Lucille Keegan and her husband, Wayne Martin.

Geraldine's mother passed away when she was 7 years old at which time her dad sent her to a boarding school run by nuns. Her father would come every weekend and they would spend the weekend together and he would drop her off back at the boarding school. Her father eventually resettled in Georgia and she would spend the summers with him. He later married Leah Gomez and moved to New Orleans, LA where she joined them and graduated from high school. While living in New Orleans, Geraldine met and married the love of her life Wayne Martin. They were married on April 25, 1959 at St. James Catholic Church in Memphis, TN. On March 30, 1960 they welcomed a son, Wayne “Boo-Boo” Martin then on July 5, 1961 they welcomed a daughter, Shannon Martin. She enjoyed reading, sewing for her children, going to the Casinos to play the slot machines, playing Bunco with her friends and working outside the home. She was an avid reader of true crime novels and an animal lover.

Geraldine made sure her children got a good education and went to private parochial schools. She always worked outside the home. Early on she worked as a secretary and later in life landed a position as a proofreader for John Harland Company where she worked until retirement. Before her husband, Wayne Martin of 49 years passed away on December 15, 2008, she spent her time caring for him. Afterwards, Geraldine began a second career of being a personal caregiver for several individuals. She eventually went back to school and became a certified nursing assistant where she worked for Comfort Keepers until she was no longer able to work. Once she got into her 70’s, Geraldine started having health issues which prevented her from driving and working for Comfort Keepers. She then became a client for Comfort Keepers. It was always her desire to stay in the home where her and Dad had lived. She never wanted to move away because of the memories. However, her health declined to the point that she had to move into Shannon and Claude’s home in Bullard, Texas. She stayed there for six months and got physical rehab and was able to return to her home. Geraldine and Shannon got reacquainted with each other and got to spend a lot of quality time together. She was a devout Catholic most of her life. A couple of years ago, Geraldine professed that she “was surrendering her life to the Lord.” Boo and her talked about her surrendering to Jesus and what it meant.

She leaves to cherish her memory, her son, Wayne “Boo” Martin; her daughter, Shannon (Claude) Tester; her grandson, Caleb (Cristi) Debose and her great granddaughter, Estelle.

The family will receive friends on Sunday, July 17, 2022 from 1PM until 2PM with services to follow at Family Funeral Care, 4925 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN 38122.

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