Geraldine Grace "Jerri" Johnston

Geraldine Johnston age 87 of Nashua, IA, died Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at Waverly Health Center in Waverly, IA.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 10, 2022, at Horton Baptist Church in Horton with Pastor Greg Gosnell and Pastor James Livingston officiating.
Interment will be held at Horton Cemetery with Alex Mehmen, Jerry Wiltse, Leroy Kapping, Josh Appel, Tyler Ledtje, and Phil Marion serving as pallbearers.
Friends may greet the family from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Friday, December 9, 2022, at Hugeback - Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory - Olson Chapel in Nashua. Visitation continues an hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. 641-435-4134
Geraldine "Jerri" Grace was born on November 1, 1935, to Marvin and Grace (Shipp) Ihde, on her parents' farm near Horton, Iowa. She was the fourth of the couple's ten children, and like many farm daughters in that day, she helped her mother with the younger children and also did her share of chores on the farm.
Jerri developed her competitive attitude at a young age, and she was a very spirited basketball player for the Pirates of Plainfield High School, where she was a proud member of the "Class of 1954." After graduating from high school, she attended Ankeny Bible College.
She had met Melvin Johnston in high school, and the two made for a great couple. They dated, fell in love and were married on June 10, 1956, beginning a 66-year marriage that was filled with many wonderful memories.
The couple welcomed five children - Dianna, Mark, Lori, JoDee and Dennis - and settled in Parkersburg, where Melvin owned and operated a gas station. After Dianna graduated from high school, the family moved to Nashua, where Melvin worked for Hydrotile and the couple operated The Bradford House and Motel for more than 30 years. Jerri did much of the cooking in the restaurant and also helped make sure the motel was always ready for its guests.
Jerri gave us many great memories. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother, who all loved her competitiveness and spunkiness. Jerri hated to lose, be it in "500," a board game or any other competition, but she was also so much fun to be around. And if she needed to "relax," Yahtzee! was her game of choice.
She was an avid bowler and won a bevy of trophies and honors for her prowess on the lanes. She played in a 500 card club for years, and even though she may have "overbid" to get a peek at the blind, she almost always found a way to win a hand! She enjoyed watching football - especially the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Chicago Bears - and college wrestling.
Jerri was an avid coin collector, and Melvin always joked that there were times a few of his "better coins" went missing from the gas station!
In later years, Jerri and Melvin traveled and enjoyed going to visit friends in Florida and Georgia. They also took a once-in-a-lifetime trip with Melvin's parents to Hong Kong when Melvin was working for Hydrotile.
Jerri was a lifelong member of Horton Baptist Church.
The two most important things in her life were family and faith, and she will be missed by all those who knew and loved her. They know, though, that Jerri is waiting for them - probably playing some 500 or bowling - in a far better place.
Jerri is survived by her husband of 66 years, Melvin of Nashua; two sons, Mark (Terri) Johnston of Nashua, and Dennis (Dawn) Johnston of Nashua; three daughters, Dianna (Dan) Mehmen of Centennial, Colorado, Lori Johnston of Des Moines, and JoDee Johnston of Charles City; 21 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren; two great-great-granchildren with one on the way; three brothers, Ronnie Ihde of Plainfield, Dennis (Diane) Ihde of Wisconsin, and Stuart (Penny) Ihde of Minnesota; Violet (Merle) Graeser of Horton, Ilene Weikert of Fredericksburg, Janet Hamacher of Illinois, and Cheryl (Barry) DeBower of Charles City; sister-in-law, Janet Oberdiear of Clarksville; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Shirley and Marlys; brothers-in-law, George Johnston, Don Oberdiear, Jim Weikert, Jim Hamacher and Bill McGaughey; and sister-in-law, Joann Ihde.