Raima Jane Pert

On 8/15/2024 Raima Jane (Geare) Pert, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, peacefully passed away at the age of 89.
Raima was born on February 7, 1935 in Phoenix. AZ, to Thomas and Louise Geare, the youngest of 7 children. When she was 2 years old, her father died from cancer and her mother Louise raised her young family on her own. As a toddler, Raima boarded during the week with the Sisters of the Precious Blood while her mother worked. She attended St. Mary's Elementary followed by St. Mary's High School, graduating in 1952 and was the first of her siblings to go to college when she joined her best friend, Patricia (Plousard) Crowley at College in Los Angeles. As finances were tight, Raima attended for just one year, returning to Phoenix in 1953.
While at Marymount College, she met the love of her life, Ed Pert, a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, when she asked him to dance at a party. Their courtship evolved from weekend visits to long distance letter writing when Ed was deployed to Korea from 1953-1954. Following his honorable discharge from the Marines, Ed returned to Massachusetts and their romance continued from a distance until their wedding in Feb. 1956 in Phoenix. They honeymooned in San Clemente, at the Resort Motel San Clemente (formerly located on the bluff in the Pier Bowl). They were startled awake their first night by the horn of a passing freight train, not having seen the train tracks below them when they arrived after nightfall. Their marriage of over 40 years was full of love, faith and laughter, along with the ordinary struggles of life.
Raima and Ed's dream of having a large family was realized when they had 9 children in 12 years. After living for short stints in Dallas, TX, Birmingham and Huntsville AL, the family returned to Phoenix where they, together with her sisters' large families, enjoyed many years of extra-large extended family gatherings and celebrations. The strong bonds formed with the cousins (50 in total) during those years continues to this day. In 1971, the Pert family moved to San Clemente where Raima lived for the remainder of her life. The coming and goings at her home were constant as her children's friends often popped in after school or the beach and joined the family for meals. As her children began having children, her heart overflowed with an infinite love of family. Watching her grandchildren grow brought her deep joy.
Raima was a woman of deep faith. Raised Catholic, she followed in the footsteps of her Geare ancestors, who, from the late 1880s, attended St Mary's Church in Phoenix. She was a parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in San Clemente and Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ladera Ranch. She prayed the Rosary daily and delighted in praying in person with her mother and sisters when she visited Phoenix. She prayed countless 54-day novenas on behalf of many family members.
Throughout her life, Raima loved music, dancing with her husband, Sunday dinners (her pork roast was delicious), talking with her sisters on a landline, and watching Notre Dame football games with her family. Raima enjoyed walking and staying fit through exercise despite her hectic days. A cherished time of year was Christmas, where she and Ed always created magical memories for their children and grandchildren, often with limited resources.
Raima was preceded in death by her husband Ed Pert, daughter Anne Pert Palmer, son Tim Pert, granddaughter Emma Pert, father Tom Geare, mother Louise Geare, brothers Tom and Mike, sisters Betty (Bebe), Patricia, Carolyn, Marianne. She will be greatly missed by her children Mike (Sharyn) Pert, Peggy (Randy) Griffin, Molly Pert Allen, Ed (Heather) Pert, Mimi (Patrick) Griffin, John (Kirsten) Pert, Bev (David) Shaw, son in-law Rob Palmer and daughter-in-law Pam Pert. She was cherished by her grandchildren Peter Breuer, Aimee Stoltz, Alex Pert, Stephen Griffin, Miles Griffin, Libby Brady, Geare Allen, Timmy Allen, Emmit Pert, Kevin Pert, Johnny Palmer, Jake Palmer, Gracie Palmer, Louise Griffin, Claire Griffin, Zane Pert, Myla Pert, Sophie Shaw, Callie Shaw, their spouses and friends, as well as her five great grandchildren.
The family would like to thank Raima's friend Nancy who kept her hair looking great for 50 years, her wonderful neighbors and her caregivers Laura, Maria, Canela and Elva for their kind care and tenderness in the last several months. And, a special thank you to Craig and Elaine Twiss and Dan Martin who were chosen family for Raima.