Geraldine Wilma Ormsbee

Geraldine, “Gerry” Wilma Ormsbee of New Bern, NC, passed away in her home on Tuesday, August 25. Gerry was preceded in death by her husband, Allen Ives Ormsbee. She is survived by her 3 daughters, Pamela Brodsky, Marilyn Strother, and Patricia Ormsbee; her grandchildren Jack Brodsky, Elizabeth Brodsky Murray, Graham Strother, and Raeford Strother Thomas; and great grandchildren Josephine Murray and Tripp Murray.She attended Garber Methodist Church in New Bern.

Gerry was born July 17, 1924, in Cohutta, GA. to Stella and John Bartlett. The family moved to Tennessee and then on to New Mexico. Gerry attended high school and New Mexico State Teachers’ College in Silver City. She was the first Bartlett to attend college and did so despite her father’s objections because the college allowed girls to wear pants. It was in college that she met the love of her life, Allen.

When Allen received a scholarship in aeronautical engineering at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Gerry moved to Cincinnati, OH to be closer to him. She joined the “Rosie the Riveter” work force at Curtis-Wright Aircraft Co. in support of the World War II effort. Her weekends were often spent in Urbana, Il on chaperoned visits with Allen. She and Allen were married in Urbana, Il. on August 24, 1946, where they raised their 3 daughters, had active social lives and rewarding careers.

Gerry had a great sense of style and earned a popular reputation as a buyer and salesperson in fine women’s wear at several distinguished clothing stores. Allen’s career as an Aeronautical Engineer took the family to southern California each summer where Gerry enlisted the family to experiment with epicurean delights unavailable to them in the Midwest. She and Allen began backpacking and fly fishing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the 1950s, taking their daughters with them as they got old to enjoy the treks. She and Allen summited the 14,000 ft peak, Mt Whitney in the Sierra Nevada, when they were in their 20s and continued hiking and fly fishing throughout the west in to their 70s. Allen was a competitive glider pilot, setting numerous records in the sport, and Gerry was his “first mate”. She enjoyed being his ground crew, making sure she was in the right place at the right time to track his flights and retrieve him and his glider wherever he landed, be it an air strip or a cow pasture.

Later in life, Gerry and Allen enjoyed traveling to numerous foreign countries to experience different cultures. They were among the first to visit China when it opened its doors to the western world and Gerry held a special fondness for the good food and warmth of the people of China. In 1995, after they retired, Gerry and Allen moved to Daytona Beach, FL. and then on to New Bern, NC in 2006. After Allen died in 2012, Gerry lived out the rest of her life independently with the local support of her daughter Pam and her son-in-law Larry. Gerry appreciated her full and fortunate life buoyed by the enduring love she shared with Allen.

Memorials may be made to Craven County Hospice, New Bern, NC.