Geri Bilinski

Geraldine "Geri" A. Bilinski of Newark, Delaware, went home to the Lord on November 4, 2025, surrounded by her family and the love she shared so freely throughout her life. With grace and strength, Geri faced a brief and incurable illness, Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), brought on by her earlier cancer treatment.
Born on September 13, 1945, Geri lived a life rooted in faith, kindness, and devotion to her family, her students and her church. From an early age, she felt called to teach, not only the lessons found in books, but the deeper ones of compassion, gratitude, and grace.
Geri attended Ursuline Academy, Mount Aloysius College, and Neumann College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.
Geri began her early years in education at Harmony Farms Preschool, where she discovered the deep joy of guiding young children and planting the first seeds of curiosity that would define her life's work.
For more than 30 years, Geri dedicated her career to teaching in the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington. She taught at Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Peter the Apostle, Holy Spirit, St. Catherine of Siena and Holy Angels School. She brought warmth, creativity, and patience into every classroom, inspiring her students to see their own worth and potential. Her faith was ever present in her teaching – structured, steady and full of love.
Geri was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She shared 59 years of love and partnership with her beloved husband, Stephen Bilinski, and together they built a home filled with warmth, faith, and affection. She was the proud mother of Carin Hannaford and Stephanie Emmi, whose lives reflect her strength, kindness, and unwavering love.
Her greatest joy came from being "Mom-Mom" to her grandchildren – Andrew, Kaitlynn, Chloe, Emily and Ryan – and her great-grandchildren – Dahlia and Ivy - each of whom brought endless light into her life. She celebrated their milestones, cheered for their dreams, and loved them with the purest heart.
To her family, friends, and students, Geri was the kind of person who made everyone feel known and valued. She led by quiet example – through patience, faith, and the simple beauty of a giving heart. Geri found joy in gardening, reading a good book, traveling, relaxing at the beach and playing canasta with friends.
Geri is survived by her husband, Stephen Bilinski; her daughters, Carin Hannaford and Stephanie Emmi (Jeff); her grandchildren, Andrew Hannaford, Kaitlynn Hannaford, Chloe McManus, Emily Lynch and Ryan Lynch; her great-grandchildren, Dahlia and Ivy Brasefield; her siblings, Judith Wachter Giunta, James Wachter (Lynda), Joseph Wachter (Paula), William Conaty (Rosalie) and Gerald Conaty (Jackie); her sister-in-law, Carol Purse (Wayne) and sister-in-law, Martha Conaty. Geri is also survived by many loving cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, James F. Wachter and Eugenia M. Buckley Wachter; her brother, Thomas P. Conaty; brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Barbara Bilinski; and brother-in-law, Joseph Giunta.
Her legacy will live on in the family she loved, the children she taught, and the countless lives she touched along the way.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held to celebrate Geri's life and faith at 11:00am on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at Holy Angels Church, 82 Possum Park Road, Newark, DE 19711,where family and friends are invited to visit from 10:00am – 10:45am.
In honor of her love and generous heart for children and the community, please consider donating to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in her name.
Psalm 23:6: 'Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever'.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Geri (Wachter) Bilinski, please visit our floral store.