Geraldine Daugherty

Geraldine (Geri) Brown Daugherty, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away peacefully at her home on April 17, 2014. Geri was born on January 29, 1931 at the Wardner Hospital in Kellogg, Idaho to Harry & Violet Brown. She grew up in Smelterville and attended Silver King Grade School. She took dance lessons and is remembered for portraying a bewigged George Washington dancing the minuet. She was captain of the girl’s drill team and was also queen of the 1949 Kellogg High School class royalty court.

Geri began a 29 year postal career at the Smelterville Post Office. It was there she met her husband of 56 years, Richard E. Daugherty of Alliance, Nebraska. He had come into the Post Office to buy a money order. When she would tell of their first meeting, it was always punctuated with a smile or chuckle about how handsome he was. Geri and Dick were married on September 4, 1950 in Kellogg, Idaho and resided in Smelterville, raising their four children. Richard was an electrician for the Bunker Hill Company, for which he worked 32 years. After Bunker closed, Richard went to work for Grand Coulee Dam, where he and Geri lived until his retirement and their eventual return to their home in Smelterville.

During her life, Geri enjoyed playing the piano, horseback-riding, square dancing, playing bridge, stock club, skiing and snowmobiling. She was gifted with the talent of creating many oil paintings, which have filled her home and those of her children and grandchildren. Geri loved to go shopping and collect knick-knacks and decorate her house. She had a passion for dishes and fine China and setting the dining table with candle holders and centerpieces. In her later years, Geri was often at her computer, where she could be found scanning or photo-shopping a crease out of an old picture and working on her family tree, where genealogy became her passion.

Geri had a sense of duty, honor and obligation for her kin-folk. She would often take her children to Hunt Cemetery and have picnics, while care-taking for her ancestors’ graves. Being an only child, Geri had an overwhelming desire and need to keep her relatives “alive in her heart” and she did so by telling stories of these kin-folk, many of which will be passed down. She has blessed her family by leaving behind a wonderful “legacy of genealogy,” evidenced by her hard work and effort binders full of shared family tree history, old pictures and personal recollections. She will be remembered for her generosity, determination, strong will and that fiery “pistol” of a temper, of which she, herself, proudly called it to her “Irish temper.” She will most certainly be remembered with many laughs and chuckles and many will also fondly recall stories of her empathy and generosity for others and the tremendous love she had for family, relatives and friends.

Geri is survived by her four children: two daughters Debby (Mike) Roberts of Oldtown and Wendy (Mike) Hei of Pinehurst; two sons H. Rick Daugherty of Post Falls and Scott (Joyce) Daugherty of Cataldo; grandsons, Aaron and Tim (Autumn) Roberts, Darren (Robin) Hei, and Brian Daugherty; granddaughters, Melissa (Jim) Myers and Hilary (Jeremy) Groves, Nicole Daugherty; and Joyce’s daughters, Lee Ann, Kayla and Jenea. Geri was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Richard Edward Daugherty and her parents, Harry and Violet Brown (McGillivray) and the family’s beautiful Kami Edmonson, Joyce’s daughter, who passed away in 2012.

The Daugherty family would like to acknowledge and thank Mountain Valley Rehabilitation-Kindred Care, ResCare-Home Care, Loving Care & More, Good Samaritan Society, Melissa Hei, Barbara Miller, Josi Miller, Jennifer Hodge and Lori Brewster and all her friends and relatives for the love and compassion they showed Geri during these last years of Geri’s life. The family would also like to acknowledge and thank relatives Barbara Colley, Terri Bristow, Melwyn Daugherty, Leila Harty and all others who have shared their photos & family tree information.

Funeral services for Geri will be held on Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at Real Life Ministries in Pinehurst with Pastor Bill Howard officiating. A private family inurnment will take place at Hunt Cemetery of Kingston.

The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Hunt Cemetery, P.O. Box 722, Pinehurst, Id 83850.

SHOSHONE FUNERAL SERVICES & CREMATORY KELLOGG, IDAHO is entrusted with funeral arrangements.

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