Obituary of Geraldine Hay

Geraldine Hay December 26, 1931- April 30, 2020 Gerry was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 26, 1931. She was taken from us by COVID - 19 on April 30, 2020. Gerry and her siblings, Shirley Jean and Thomas Irvin, grew up in Springerton, Illinois with their parents Irvin Thomas and Pauline Files. When she was eight, her family moved to a farm near Springerton where she lived until she graduated from high school and moved to Fairfield, Illinois with her sister Shirley. In 1951, Gerry married James Robert Brittingham and had 4 children with him, Michael Thomas, Shelley Jean, Robert Lenox and Paula Kay. In 1955, the growing family moved to Seattle. There she made a career with Boeing as a contract administrator. She was a great mom who was fun to be around. She loved the Thunderboats in the summer and enjoyed her friends in the Tyee Triumph sports car club. In the mid 70’s Gerry’s life took a change. After retiring from Boeing, she became a participant in and spokesperson for Elder Hostel. Here, she met her present husband, John Hay. They traveled the world together. During this time, they regularly attended the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon and met a group of friends who loved the festival as much as they did. She looked forward to visiting Ashland, Oregon every year to see the plays and participate in the educational sessions with actors, directors and stage crew members Gerry was an avid reader and became first reader for many of the books written by Ann Rule, the criminal novelist. She loved getting together with ‘The Gang’, women who shared her passion for literature. Among her many interests were the beautiful quilts she made and gave to family, friends and charities. She led a good life and will be missed by her family, relatives, and friends from all over the world. Gerry is survived by her husband John, daughter Shelley, sons Michael and Joyce and Robert and Marlene, and grand-sons Dan, Brad, and Broc, and their families. Since we cannot bring her flowers, the family is suggesting that anybody who would like to donate to their favorite charity should do so in her honor. Gerry left a bequest to The Angus and Gertrude Bowmer Foundation for Education connected with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and made and donated lap quilts for children to the Seattle Children’s Hospital during her lifetime.