NEW HAMPTON - Katherine Geerts, 87, New Hampton, died Thursday, March 7, 2002 at Mercy Medical Center, New Hampton of natural causes.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 13 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, New Hampton with Reverend Carl Schmitt officiating. Sr. Lorraine Loecher will be the organist and will accompany the cantor, Joyce Shatek, ana the St. Joseph Resurrection Choir singing "Be Not Afraid", "Prayer of St. Francis", "Blest Are They" and "On Eagle's Wings". The lector will be Gladys Christoph. Christie Milbrandt, Katie and Jacob Willits will present the offer-, tory gifts. The pall will be. placed by her husband and children. Eucharistic ministers will be Dan Geerts, Monica Marvin and Mary Ann Trask.

Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, New Hampton with Frank Geerts, Leo Kruth, Dennis Marvin, David Geerts, Leon Geerts and Leonard Geerts as casket bearers.

Visitation will be 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 at Conway-Kolbet Funeral Home, New Hampton, where there will be a 4 p.m. CDA and Rosary Society Rosary and a 7 p.m. Scripture Service. Visitation will also be an hour prior to services at the church.

Katherine Francis Geerts was born in Kirksville, MO on Aug. 17,1914 and was raised in New Hampton by her parents, Albert and Molly (Tierney) Smith. She graduated from New Hampton High School and received her teaching certificate from Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls. She married Louis B. Geerts on June 24, 1943 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, New Hampton. The couple lived in a home Katherine had lived in since 1919 their entire married lives. She taught country school for ten years at a country school west of New Hampton and Boyd and also taught Religious Education at St. Joseph's for many years. She also did baby-sitting and housekeeping. She was a life long member of St. Joseph Church, Rosary Society and was a 50 year member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court Joan of Arc #388. She enjoyed crossword puzzles.

Survivors include her husband, Louis; a daughter, Margaret (Joe) Harn, Waterloo; five sons, Ted (Veronica), New Hampton; Tom (Helen), North Washington, Mike (Anita) New Hampton, John (Rita) North Washington and Steve (Nita), New Hampton; 3Q grandchildren and 29 greatgrandchildren.

Preceding her in death were her parents; a son, Bernard; a great-grandson, Austin and a brother.

Source: New Hampton Tribune; Mar. 12, 2002 Page 4
from Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee
Transcribed by ABBYY FineReader® 12, Adapted to the Web by Bill Waters