Gerry, Leader of the Fun Bunch
(One of the Sherburne Girls (G-75-43)

If there is room for a special Grandmother of the
Year award to be recorded in our Gruner annals, I
propose that we present it to Gerry in recognition
of the large number of her descendants and her devotion
to them. She is the matriarch of thirty-five descendants,
all but one still living, and another one expected in
early March. At that time her family will span five
generations, even more amazing as she is still in her
seventies and remains very active and in relatively
good health. Her birthday is January 12.

Gerry, who never liked to be called Geraldine, is the third
child of Mary Katherine (Kate) Gruner and Virgil Sherburne.
She was born in Coldwater, Michigan and attended the
Centennial rural school until she moved with her family to
Battle Creek in 1936. She married young, immediately after
graduation from high school. She had four children during
the next nine years.

As her children began growing up, she began
a career and attended evening college. She married again
in 1965 and had one child in that marriage. She now has,
in addition to her five children, thirteen living grandchildren,
sixteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild
is due in March. All of them are devoted to her - the finest
tribute they can give.

She lives in Kentucky now, near many of her family,
while others have remained in Michigan; frequently
making the trip along the Interstate that connects them.

At one Gruner reunion, Gerry and so many of her
family attended and so obviously enjoyed being together
that Charley Gruner dubbed them the "Fun Bunch." It is
an apt description of their close relationship.

(Written by her sister, Marian Zang)