Geraldine Smith

Geraldine Clare (Walsh) Smith, age 76, of Kalamazoo passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully, at her home on August 20, 2025. Geraldine (Jeri) was born on June 20, 1949, in Jamaica, NY, the daughter of Vincent Edward and Adeline Carrie (Jauris) Walsh. In her earlier years, Jeri took ballet and jazz and had a dream of becoming a Rockette; however, due to her petite stature, she was not able to audition. She had a love of all the arts and was a former season ticket holder at Miller Auditorium and current season ticket holder for the Barn Theater where she attended many productions with her daughter Kimberly. She loved going to different museums and art exhibits with her daughters and was especially fond of the Chihuly glass sculptures. She enjoyed gardening (she was Master Gardener), baking, and cooking, and always made sure Thanksgiving and Christmas meals were entirely safe for her daughter, Sara, to eat, despite the vast medical issues she had, which Sara will forever be grateful for. Jeri also enjoyed watching cooking/baking shows, true crime, B horror, and all things thriller and would have all-night tv and movie marathons with her daughter, Sara.

Jeri spent most of her working life in various positions at the Post Office, where she met her husband, Ronald (Ron) Wayne Smith, whom she married on May 1, 2004, and who preceded her in death on January 3, 2024. Jeri was very active in the Catholic Church, mainly with St. Mary’s. Through them, she and Sara went on three World Youth Day events - Italy, Canada, and New Zealand/Australia. Jeri was also a lifelong baseball fan, first of the NY Yankees and more recently the Kalamazoo Growlers, where she and Ron held season tickets. While her daughters will miss her every day, they at least are happy she’s reunited with Dad (although she may be less thrilled to hear all the new puns he’s learned).

Jeri is also preceded in death by her parents, Vincent and Adeline Walsh, a brother, Edward Vincent Walsh and a sister, Roberta Jean Voogt. Surviving are her two daughters, Kimberly Anne Marie Mack (Ian Michael Schirado) and Sara Marie Smith.

 Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 12:30 PM at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 939 Charlotte Avenue, Kalamazoo with Fr. Jose Haro as Celebrant. There will be a luncheon held at St. Mary's Barth Hall following the service. 

Interment will be in Ft. Custer National Cemetery, Augusta on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 1:00 PM. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be mailed to “Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones” at 904 Lakeway Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, or online at https://kalamazoo.wildones.org/donate/ (where it’ll direct to a PayPal link).