Geraldine Coates 1947-2025

Gerri was born Dec. 23, 1947, to Leo and Carmela Constantino Billock.

Gerri married the love of her life, Bill, on the last Saturday in 1969. Together, they shared 55 years of a tremendous life together, raising four wonderful children and eight grandchildren. Those 12 were without a doubt the high point of her life.

Gerri knew she wanted to be a teacher from her earliest childhood. She taught second grade at St. Nicholas School in Struthers for five years before taking time away to raise her four children to school age, before returning to teaching. While at home with the children, she became president of Canfield Junior Women’s League, where she chaired Safety City.

After graduating from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1966, she received her bachelor’s degree in education in 1970 and her master’s degree in education in 2002, both from Youngstown State University.

She taught special education in the Austintown School System, where she received the Martha Holden Jennings Scholar Award. Her passion for reading led her to become president of the Mahoning County Reading Association, where she received the Commitment to Literacy Award. In addition, she was presented with the Phi Delta Kappa Best Practice Award. She also became president of the Green Leaves Garden Club, sharing fun activities with many wonderful friends. Gerri taught special education for an additional 25 years. She was an advocate for both her students and parents. She often guided parents to receive the help they were lawfully entitled to.

Upon retiring, she became a proud member of the Austintown Retired Teachers Association. Her organizational and interpersonal skills were on display in the many organizations in which she participated, but her husband’s proudest memory is of all the children that she tutored after school, never charging a penny, and making sure there was a snack and a trinket for each session.

She was a wonderful friend to all her eating buddies (retired teachers, birthday club, Wednesday breakfast / lunch group, JWL alumnae group, school colleagues and the list goes on). She cherished you all as great friends.

Gerri belonged to St. Michael Parish in Canfield, where she was a Eucharistic minister, minister to the sick, taught children’s liturgy and was an RCIA sponsor.

She will be missed by many, including her husband, Bill; and children, Kelly (Don) Pendergast, Kristen (Tom) McCormick, Kari (Paul) DeLucia and Bill (Marcie McClintic) Coates. She adored her grandchildren, and they also adored her: Dominic, Anthony, Matthew and Isabella DeLucia, along with Andrew and Emerson McCormick, and Addington and Leo Coates.

Her sister, Darlene (Kenny) Greenawalt; her brother, Steven (Ann) Billock; brother-in-law and wife, Mark and Cathy Coates; and sister-in-law, Susan (Richard) Ferrier; along with her cherished nieces and nephews, share their grief and happy memories of fun times with Gerri.

She was preceded in death by her loving mother and father, Carmel and Leo Billock.

Gerri and her family would especially like to thank Dr. Joseph Zeno for all of his concern as well as wonderful medical treatment.

Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, at Vaschak-Kirlia Funeral Home, 3100 Canfield Road, Youngstown, OH 44511.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, at St. Michael Church, 300 N. Broad St., Canfield, OH 44406 (please go directly to the church, not the funeral home), followed by interment in Canfield Cemetery on Main Street.

A mercy meal at St. Michael’s will follow.

Gerri has requested that you consider a donation in her name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

To view this obituary or to send condolences to the family, please visit www.kirilafh.com.

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