Terri Nickens Gerace

Terri Nickens Gerace, a devoted and loving wife and mom, earned her teal wings at age 64 on Monday, January 20, 2020 after a lengthy battle with a rare type of ovarian cancer called Granulosa Cell Tumor. After her diagnosis in 2012, Terri became an advocate leader with the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) and made many trips to Washington, D.C. to work for increased funding for research and awareness. In 2014, she established a Louisiana chapter of OCRA's Survivors Teaching Students program, where she and other survivors shared their stories with third year medical students to promote awareness and early detection of the deadly disease. Terri was a native of Baton Rouge and long-time resident of Prairieville, Louisiana. A graduate of Louisiana State University, she was employed as a teacher in schools in EBR and Ascension parishes, many of those years at Lake Elementary School. Her greatest accomplishment was earning her M.Ed. degree in evening and summer classes with two children under the age of 4. She later served as a science coordinator for LaSIP Project Hands and then worked as a reading facilitator until her retirement due to her cancer diagnosis. Terri is survived by her husband Russell John Gerace, who indulged her love of travel and gardening, her sons Casey P. (Angela) Colclough of Greenwell Springs, LA, Bryan C. (Stephanie) Colclough of Denham Springs, LA, her daughter Kaitlyn C. Ervin (Matthew) of Charleston, SC, her grandchildren Brooke, Haylee, Hunter, and Rhagen Colclough and her beloved rescued Westie Bella. Terri is also survived by her sister Linda Hymel (L.J.), her sisters Alice Page and Susan Jordan, and her sister-in-law Cynthia and numerous nieces and nephews. Additional survivors include her bonus children Adam J. Gerace (Bryce) and their children Amelie and Miles, Bryan R. Gerace (Laura) and their children Zachary and Madeline, and Stephen J. Gerace (Jessie) and their son Hudson. She is also survived by the father of her children, Bryan P. Colclough. Terri treasured her children and encouraged them in all of their pursuits, be it sports, science fairs, or dance, and to their chagrin, she always made sure they did their homework. She was preceded in death by her parents Lloyd and Florette Matherne Nickens, brother Robert Nickens, mother-in-law Juanita Gerace Miller, grandparents Joseph and Margaret Stephens, Norman Nickens, and Louis and Seraphine Matherne, nephew Travis Bellue, and Nick, her impossibly mischievous Westie. Visitation will be held at Greenoaks Funeral Home on Thursday, January 23rd from 6pm - 9pm. Visitation will resume on Friday, January 24th at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St. Amant, LA from 9:00am until Mass of Christian burial at 11:00am. Interment will immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park.