F. Gertrude Stull

F. Gertrude Whitmire Stull, 88 years and 8 months of age, passed away on May 5, 2013, after living for three years at The Meadows Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Dallas, where she continued to enrich lives of those around her while vying with Parkinson's disease.

Born and raised in Berwick, to the late John F. and Florence M. Taylor Whitmire, she graduated from the Berwick High School. She married Dean L. Stull and moved to Kingston, then to Forty Fort, where she lived and raised her family until Dean's death in 1981. She lived in Luzerne and then Kingston until moving into The Meadows.

Gertrude loved her family so much; she loved family gatherings, spending time with her grandchildren and presenting enormous and sumptuous holiday feasts with seasonally colored mashed potatoes. Oh, those leftovers!

Gertrude worked in retail from the age of 16. She continued working retail for 35 years at Bergman's, a few years in the shoe department, and then in the cosmetic department. She then worked at Humphrey's Bootery in Dallas for about 10 years. Gertrude had a tremendous sense in fashion and style and was labeled a "fashionista" wherever she went. She always remained current to style appropriate to age and wore scarfs and jewelry and shoes to match her outfits.

She loved jigsaw puzzles, cards, board games, word books and was a Yahtzee Champion extraordinaire. Gertrude was very giving and loving and was greatly loved by others. Her thumbs were both green, able to grow anything anywhere. She read the newspaper front to back every day, read novels and biographies, and recipes.

Active in Al-Anon, she was able to gain tremendous insights and personal growth that enriched her life. She was quite active in the Eastern Star for many years.

The Courtdale Methodist Church and its Women's Auxiliary were an integral part of her life – the rummage sales, pillow cases filled with children's gifts for Christmas, the dinners, and above all, the dear friends she had and loved so much. Her soul and behavior were filled with kindness, love, gentleness and sacrifice and generosity.

The family would like to acknowledge and deeply thank her caregivers and all the staff at The Meadows for the last three years, and more recently The Hospice of the Sacred Heart. They all related to and treated her as though she were family.

In addition to her parents and former husband, Gertrude was also preceded in death by her brother and sister-in-law, with whom she was very close, F. Leslie and Sara Acornly Whitmire of Berwick.

Gertrude will be greatly and deeply missed by her children, Swan S. Stull and life partner Marty E. Gates, of Lewisburg Pa.; Lance E. Stull and his wife, Susan Cohen Stull, of Kingston, and their children, Sara C., of Portland, Ore.; Jonathan C., and Zachary C. of Kingston; Mark D. Stull and Lisa DiSano Stull of Dallas and their children, Sara A., Rachael K. and Isaiah M. of Dallas, and Rebecca M., of Philadelphia; Erick M. Stull and Korey Adelson and their daughter, Meia M., of Plymouth; and her loved and loving nieces, Judy Andres and her husband, Dale, of Nescopeck, and Sandy Slowick and her husband, Larry, of Berwick.

Friends may call on Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. followed by a service to celebrate Gertrude and conducted by Pastor Ron Baker at The Courtdale Methodist Church, 225 Courtdale Ave., Courtdale. Private interment will be at the Berwick Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like you to consider donating to The Courtdale Methodist Church Women's Auxiliary, The Meadows 4 East Center Hill Road, Dallas PA 18612, or The Hospice of the Sacred Heart, 600 Baltimore Drive, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Hugh B. Hughes & Son Inc. Funeral Home, 1044 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort. For information or to send the family an online message of condolence, you may visit the funeral home website at hughbhughes.com.