Geraldine Junkmann

Geraldine "Jeri" Junkmann, 78, died Sunday, November 17, 2013, in rural Humboldt after a short battle with cancer and heart disease. A visitation will be held at the Mason-Lindhart Funeral Home in Humboldt on Thursday, November 21st, from 4-8 p.m. She donated her body to the University of Iowa Hospitals and a burial will be held next summer.
She was the world's greatest mother to Michelle (Mrs. Gary) Jensen, Dave Junkmann and Mark Junkmann. Her husband, Mervin "Stub" passed away on January 5th, 2006. She adored her grandchildren Jenna Jensen, Ashley Junkmann, and Justin Hellickson. Her great grandchildren, Braxton Jensen and Umrella Hellickson, gave her great joy.
Jeri was born on April 23, 1935 to Edna (Zeigler) Sandquist in Wakefield, Michigan, where she was also baptized and confirmed. As an adult, she was formally adopted by her beloved Daddy, Ed Johnson, and officially became Geraldine Loreva Sandquist Johnson Junkmann. She was 2nd in the family of Charles, Jeri, Georgie, Waino, Butchy, Clifford, Ida, Dale, and Timmy. A brother, Robert, died as an infant.
At the age of 14, Jeri boarded a bus in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan and traveled to Highwood, Illinois. There she had jobs as a soda jerk, a clerk at Walgreens, and worked in the PC at Fort Sheridan. There she met a handsome young military policeman, married (November 13, 1954), and moved to Iowa to work on the family farm. Once she learned to drive a combine, Stub never did again. She worked as a farmer most of her life until taking a job as a receptionist at Iowa Industrial Hydraulics.
Stub and Jeri lived on the farm he was born on near Pioneer, Iowa until their retirement. They then purchased homes in Pocahontas, Iowa and Alamo (later Mission), Texas.
They had many friends and loved traveling with them or going to each other's homes for steak frys. The Pioneer Saddle Club arena was located on their farm. 4th of July parties or family reunions at the Junkmanns' were always a great time. She organized birthday calendars for the Saddle Club, helped organize the Pioneer centennial, and drew the pictures and helped compile the Gilmore City centennial cookbook. Even when she lived in Alamo, she organized the Friendly Village directory. Her friends in Texas were like a second family and meant the world to her.
Jeri enjoyed life to the fullest, making a difference in the life of everyone she met. She had a wonderful sense of humor that carried her through life's ups and downs. Nobody ever forgot her once they met her. Her life motto, "Get Over It", was heard by all who needed it.
She loved Facebook, computer games, tole painting, clogging (member of CornBelt Country Cloggers), and arts and crafts, especially scrapbooking. She recently completed a lifetime scrapbook of her brother, Clifford's, life with he, and his wife, Terri. She and Stub camped for many years with their children and grandchildren. She was a member of the First Lutheran Church of Gilmore City.