Geralyn (Gigi) Gantter Jarboe, 61, was called home on Sunday, June 8 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her parents, siblings, husband, children, grandchildren, and a few too many romance novels. She is survived by her husband, Jeff; her four children Tony (Catie) Jarboe, Darren (Lindsey) Jarboe, Monica (Matt) Jarboe-Zyskowski, and Melanie (Fahed Al Qardhani) Jarboe; her siblings Gail (Vince) McGurgan, Gwyn (Bill) Rogan, and Greg (Marsha) Gantter; her parents, Wally and Carol Gantter, and eight grandchildren.

Gigi was born in West Point, New York on March 13, 1964. The daughter of a military dad, she moved around frequently as a child, living in Italy, Texas, Oklahoma, and Hawaii. After Hawaii, Gigi and her family moved to Paxton while her dad was stationed at Chanute Air Force Base. Gigi met Jeff at Paxton High School, and the high school sweethearts married June 14, 1986.

Gigi exemplified Christ's call to serve others. When she was not tending to the needs of her family, she was serving her community. She was treasurer of the United Community Fund of Paxton & Vicinity, coordinated blood drives on behalf of the Red Cross at St. Mary Catholic Church in Paxton, and sang in both the St. Mary church choir and Paxton Community Choir. During the rare moments where she was not helping others, you could find her reading, attending to her cats, or eating a peanut butter sandwich. No matter what she was doing, her infectious smile would light up the room.

A visitation will be held at Baier Family Funeral Services in Paxton on Thursday, June 12. A rosary will be said at 3:15 p.m. with a visitation from 4-7 p.m. A funeral mass will be held at St. Mary in Paxton at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 13, followed by a grave-side service at Glen Cemetery in Paxton. A luncheon will be held at the St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish Center afterward.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the St. Mary Council of Catholic Women, United Community Fund of Paxton & Vicinity, or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.