Geri F Specker

Geri Specker – wife, mother, grandmother, hostess, world-traveler, and all-around sparkle of life – passed away peacefully and unexpectedly on Wednesday, August 14. She was 78 and will be missed dearly.

 “Love can change the world

Love can change your life

Do what makes you happy

Do what you know is right

And love with all your might

Before it’s too late”

The Moody Blues

 Geri Specker – she loved with all her might.

 Geri was born on May 1, 1946, in St. Louis, Mo., to Jerry and Josephine Vaclavik. She married her best friend, Robert W. Specker, on Aug. 31, 1968, and they would have celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in just a few short days. Along the way came three beautiful children and four beautiful grandchildren who affectionally called her Gigi.

 Geri is survived by Robert (she couldn’t see herself to call him Bob, as others did) of St. Louis; daughter Dr. Adrianne Deem and husband Adam of Fort Worth, TX; son Aaron Specker and wife Emily of St. Louis; daughter Anne Specker-Stokes and husband James of Washington, D.C.; and grandchildren AJ and Audrey Deem, and Amelia and Abigail Specker. She is also survived by her very close cousin, Gloria Vaclavik.

 Geri graduated from Cleveland High School in St. Louis in 1964 and attended Southeast Missouri State for two years before enrolling at St. Louis University. That turned out to be a good change – she met Bob in German class, and they married three months after graduating.

 Geri and Bob built a life, a family, and a business based on shared respect and responsibilities. Together they nurtured their children and a successful business, Timber Creek Nursery. They were indispensable partners.

 Geri related to people. She was a conversationalist and never met a stranger. She must have had a “Talk to Meeeeee” sign tattooed on her forehead; often a quick stop for milk at the grocery turned into an hourlong meeting with someone on Aisle Anywhere. It also turned into a few tasty, perhaps unhealthy, treats for Bob. But Geri was an even better listener, a quality that Bob and family said they will miss when they need her good counsel.

 Always the entertainer, Geri was born to plan her next social event, whether it was family coming to town, upcoming holidays (she loved Halloween, but not necessarily the spooky parts), or parties with friends. She may have single-handedly boosted the Pinterest stock price; she loved the idea of a Better Homes & Gardens available to her digitally any time of day. She must have played “dress up” as a young girl because she surely enjoyed making and wearing costumes as mom and Gigi.

 Upon learning of Geri’s passing, friends have used words like “amazing”, “loving”, and “such a sweetheart” to describe her. She found her friends equally delightful. She relished a good party – which is not the same as being a partier. Geri loved to host parties (Christmas, Halloween, any occasion) and would plan for months to ensure they went off just right. The family has a keepsake, courtesy of Geri – she printed menus for EVERY party occasion back to the 1970s to ensure repeat guests at her home weren’t served the same food twice. Now, that’s a hostess!

 And just because it was family didn’t mean she was going to stop being the perfect planner. When children and grandchildren visited, she adapted to the different diets of the day – this one is vegan; that one eats only meat; this one likes raw vegetables. Planning just the right meals for her family was her language of love.

 Outside the house she had another happy place – her swimming pool. She wasn’t particularly athletic, but she loved to swim any chance she got, especially with her children and grandchildren. She didn’t particularly love sports, except for a certain hockey player (her son Aaron); dancers (Adrianne, Anne, and Abigail); a tennis player (AJ); a soccer player (Audrey); and a martial artist (Amelia). Those were the real athletic stars!

 What she lacked in athleticism, she made up for in game-playing smarts. She was an accomplished bridge player and a champion at Solitaire. And as for Trivial Pursuit, Geri and Bob made an unbeatable team – she with her knowledge of entertainment, sports & leisure, and literature; he with his command of geography, current events, and history. Indispensable partners, once again …

 Geri cared about Earth and its future, long before it became fashionable. She considered herself something of an aging hippie and felt a strong connection to nature. She started recycling in the 1980s, which required time and effort with no curbside pickups. Geri had separate bins for different numbered plastics, different colored glass, and newspapers. She would drive weekly to the next town to do her part. Bob feared that had he stood in one place too long, he might have ended up in that same recycling plant.

 After Geri’s three children left home to start successful careers and happy families of their own, Geri and Bob took full advantage of their empty-nest years. They loved to travel together, anywhere by any means, and as often as possible. Together they visited more than 160 countries. Geri often told Bob that she felt fulfilled and grateful that they traveled the world together.

 Now, it should be said that Geri had a stubborn side. When her children were young and were told to do something by their mom, they would ask “Why?” Mom would reply, “Because I said so.” That phrase morphed into calling Geri “The Big Said So”. If there was something “The Big Said So” didn’t want to do, she most certainly would not. And if she wanted to do something, she most certainly would.

 Did we mention Geri’s stubborn streak?! Here’s the funny thing about those beautiful lyrics from The Moody Blues song. She went from obsessively loving The Moody Blues group to boycotting the band forever after she decided one day that a particular band member was claiming too much of the spotlight.

 She may have never forgiven the band members, but it stands to reason that she lived her life as they imagined in those The Moody Blues lyrics she knew well.

 Geri, the “Rock” as she and Bob called one another, will be memorialized at a service in her home. No place is more appropriate. The family is planning the service around Halloween. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to BackStoppers Inc., which supports fallen firefighters, in memory of Geri and in memory of her firefighter father, Jerry Vaclavik.