Geraldine Loiacono

LOIACONO (SHAFFER), Geraldine Marie was born February 3, 1923, in Hutchinson, Pennsylvania, and died February 1, 2016 in Palmdale, California. She grew up loving the green hills of western Pennsylvania, but came to enjoy the high desert after moving to California in 1947. During World War II, she inspected radar components for Western Electric in Dundalk, Maryland. It was there that she met her husband of fifty-five years, Carmel Loiacono, whom she married in 1946. In California, Gerry worked as an electrical inspector for Hughes Aircraft, before staying home to raise three children: Jonathan Wade, Gene Edward, and Lisa Michelle. Lisa died in childhood, but only after Gerry learned everything she could about health in order to care for Lisa. Gerry was predeceased not only by Carmel and Lisa, but also by her parents, Rosa Lee Fischer and Andrew Shaffer, her step-father Frank Roth, her sister Betty, her brother Frank, and her daughter-in-law, Janet (Smithson) Loiacono. She is survived by sister Ruth and Dick Nuttall, sister Joan and Joe Loiacono, brother Jim and Dolores Roth, sister-in-law Lou (Loiacono) Grumbach, sons Gene and Jon, as well as daughter-in-law Patrice. She has seven grandchildren: Gabriel, Joshua, Jacob, Sara, Joseph, Austin, and Kora. She also has (so far) seven great-grandchildren: David & Mia; Izabella, Zita & Helena; Valentina Janet; and Serenity. Known widely for her impromptu singing and her sweetness, her cooking, and her kindness, even some of her grandchildren’s friends referred to her affectionately as grandma. She is greatly missed. A service will be held at 2PM Saturday, February 13, 2016 at Chapel of the Valley Mortuary, 1755 East Avenue R, Palmdale. Chapel of the Valley Mortuary, Palmdale Directors.