With great sadness we said goodbye to Geraldine Roach, "Gerri," who passed peacefully on Dec. 28, 2024 at the age of 87 with her daughter at her bedside. Gerri was a lifelong feisty redhead who worked as an Occupational Health nurse for four decades in the Bay Area. She spent nearly 25 of those years with Peninsula Hospital's Employee Health Service.


Gerri was born in Indiana where she attended Catholic schools and obtained her nursing education. Following graduation, she pursued adventure as a flight attendant based in New York with American Airlines. She reveled in taking girls' trips with friends before heading to the West Coast to work as a nurse in San Francisco. There she met her future husband Bill and moved to San Mateo where the couple raised their daughter, Maura. Together Gerri and Bill traveled, shopped for antiques, and made great coffee before Bill's death in 1988. Gerri continued to work in nursing and be a mom to Maura as a widow. She loved to watch the wildlife visiting her Japanese garden and the fog roll over the hills from her back windows.


After retiring from Peninsula Hospital, Gerri stayed in her field and worked at SLAC before hanging up her stethoscope and moving to Palo Alto. There she joined outings to the theater, museums, and gardens with her peers in Doers and Goers. She was known to stay abreast of current events and frequently pasted cartoons on her door to the "delight" of her neighbors.


Gerri is survived by her beloved daughter and fellow nurse Maura, brother Msgr. Arthur MacDonald of NM, and her sister Mary MacDonald of Chicago. Her family includes her fond nieces Mary Ronczy (Thomas), Laura Zilkowski, Christel Laios (Tim), and nephew David Zilkowski (the late Susie). Her nephew Jim and his wife Catie Zilkowski, three young siblings, and many friends predeceased her. She will be remembered for her wit, fierceness, hard-working dedication, and care for others.


Services will be held at 11 am on Friday, Jan. 10 at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma with the assistance of Crippen and Flynn Funeral Chapels. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to a preferred charity.