Geraldine "Gerry" Conley

Geraldine E. "Gerry" Conley, 79 of Springfield, formerly of Merna, IL died at 12:20 p.m. at Lewis Memorial Christian Village on March 24, 2008. Gerry was born on December 18, 1928 in Bloomington, the daughter of James and Josephine Hayes Gould. She married Mark W. Conley on August 18, 1951. She was preceded in death by her husband, Mark, parents, infant son Kelly, infant grandson Cole Campbell, sisters Mary Ries, Josephine Egofski and brothers Daniel and James Gould. Gerry is survived by eight daughters, Ann Nelson (husband, John Green) of Henderson, NV, Kathi (husband, Steve) Meier of Aurora, Molly (husband, Rocco) Cottone of St. Charles, MO, Erin (husband, Dan) Campbell of Indianapolis, IN, Teresa (husband, Robert) Bettis, Karen (husband, Bob) Valenti, Colleen (husband, John) Cutler and Sharon Conley all of Springfield; five sons, Michael Conley of Bozeman, MT, Patrick (wife, Gretchen) Conley of Mt. Vernon, Christopher (wife, Elise) Conley of Ft. Worth, TX, Timothy and Kevin Conley both of Springfield; nineteen grandchildren; her sister, Helen Boylan of Bloomington; and a plethora of nieces and nephews. She was a charter member of Christ the King Parish where she volunteered for the school for many years, and the Care Center in Springfield. Her other memberships also included the Sweet Adelines, 4-H Club and the Powder Puff Bridge Club. She was a registered nurse graduating from St. Joseph's School of Nursing in Bloomington. Gerry enjoyed reading, movies, bird watching, staying in tune with current events and Milky Way candy bars. Most of all, Gerry was a dedicated, wife, mother, and grandmother. Family will receive friends from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, 2008 at Kirlin-Egan and Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield. Visitation will begin with a prayer service at 4 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 28, 2008 at Christ the King Catholic Church, 1930 Barberry Drive, Springfield with Rev. Msgr. David S. Lantz, celebrant. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Duchenne Parent Project for Muscular Dystrophy, 1012 N. University Blvd., Middletown, OH 45042. www.parentprojectmd.org