Geraldine M. Abramo

Geraldine M. Abramo MIDDLEBURY, VT. Mrs. Geraldine M. 'Gerry' (Aucoin) Abramo, gifted artist, portrait painter and teacher, of Middlebury, Vt., formerly of Waltham and Marlborough, died peacefully Monday, Dec. 1, 2008, with her daughter at her side. She was 88. Gerry was born Aug.19, 1920, in Waltham, a daughter of the late Simon and Marie (LeBlanc) Aucoin. She was a graduate of Saint Mary's High School in Waltham and a lifelong student of art. In January of 1946, she married the love of her life, Nicholas J. Abramo, at Saint Joseph's Church in Waltham. In 1961, Gerry and Nick moved their family of five children from Waltham to Marlborough. Gerry enthusiastically researched her French/Acadian heritage, tracing her ancestry from France to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She was an avid reader who also enjoyed ice skating and tennis in her youth. Although she started drawing and painting at age seven, Gerry waited until after she raised her family to pursue her formal studies in art at age 52. With great desire she attended the Worcester Art Museum School in Worcester from 1973 to 1976. She also studied at The Art Student League in New York City and at Boston's Fenway Studios, where she refined her techniques in classical realism. Gerry traveled to Europe where she went on sabbatical to research the old masters at the Louvre Museum in Paris and at the Prado Museum in Madrid. Gerry also loved to teach and taught private and public classes in portraiture and still life at her studio in Marlborough and at Endicott College in Peabody. She received more than 300 commissions for portraits and her works are hung in libraries and homes throughout the United States and Germany. Her greatest gift to those around her was her ability to nurture the potential in other people. She was able to see the beauty in others and support that beauty to its fullest.This gift was always supplied with a dose of humor, wit and irony. Many hours of laughter were shared by family and friends with this very special woman. She was a true and loyal friend, the heart of her family, and will be dearly missed. Her husband, Nick, died in 1968. Gerry leaves her children, Joseph Abramo and his wife, Jane, of Princeville, Hawaii, David Abramo of Worcester, Marsha Abramo of Monkton, Vt., and Nicholas Abramo Jr. and his wife, Lynn, of Mililani, Hawaii; a sister, Corrine Jome of Westerly, R.I.; nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was also the mother of the late Cynthia A. Abramo and sister of the late Muriel Mulrain. Calling hours are Tuesday, Dec. 9, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., at The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main St. (Rte. 20), Waltham, followed by a funeral Mass at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Church, 880 Trapelo Road, Waltham, at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Waltham. Memorial donations may be made to the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115. To offer condolences online, please visit www.joycefuneralhome.com.