Geraldine H. Blanchette passed away with beautiful music playing on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015, at the Gloucester House Cottages in Gloucester Courthouse, VA, surrounded by her beloved husband, children and grandchildren.

Jerri was born on April 10, 1927, in Wareham, MA, to Geraldine and Clyde Marvelle. She was the fifth child in a family of eight and the only girl.

She met Raymond Blanchette, the love of her life, at 19 and they were married on Aug. 22, 1948, in Danvers, MA. Their children smile when they remember that Ray and Jerri started their life in Gloucester, MA and spent their final year together in Gloucester, VA. They moved to Maine in 1952 and spent 56 years on top of a hill overlooking the New Meadows River.

After retiring, they spent their summers in Maine and winters cruising in the Caribbean on their boat and at Riverland Mobile Home Park in Stuart, FL. Jerri loved her family and friends, music, Scrabble, birds, knitting and sewing, sailing, and dancing. Jerri and Ray spent many years cruising the coast of Maine with their children and their best friends Joe and Nat Levasseur, who predecease her, and Gerry and Val Menard. The three couples shared many wonderful vacations traveling to Hawaii, Florida, Copenhagen and Canada.

Before her marriage she worked as a switchboard operator for AT& T for a number of years. After raising her children, she went to work at Senter’s and finally as the evening switchboard operator at Bowdoin College in Brunswick retiring in 1979.

Jerri is survived by her husband and dancing partner of 67 years, by her younger brother, Edward, of Monroe, NC; her children, Karen Campbell (Dennis) of Annapolis, MD; David ( Kathy) of Whitinsville, MA; Susan Smith (Bill) of Urbanna, VA and Steven (Brenda) of Cundy’s Harbor, ME. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Geoffrey Campbell, Courtnay ( Smith) Courtright, Leah and Raymond Smith, and Jason and Justin Blanchette. Jerri was the proud greatgrandmother of Meghan Campbell and Tyler, Charlotte and Wesley Courtright and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents, and six brothers, Richard, Ralph, Clyde, Howard, John and Sheldon.

Her family wants to thank the staff at the Cottages for the loving and compassionate care they gave to Jerri during her last year. According to her wishes, there will be no services and her ashes will be spread off Small Point, ME at a later date.