Geraldine Keleher

Geraldine Keleher _ devoted grandmother, amateur political pundit, and true crime fanatic _ died on Tuesday, April 14, at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. She was 94.

Geri had a passion for politics (the John F. Kennedy kind) and frequently sought out a good debate on the latest state of affairs. She conquered crossword puzzles as tenaciously as she devoured anything with chocolate on it. She was a devout follower of most soap operas and enjoyed pointing out the similarities she shared with the Queen of England, who’s only a couple months younger than her: “She had her babies the same time I had mine, and her grandkids the same time as me.”

Her quick wit and unfiltered sense of humor only sharpened with age. In response to reaching her 90th birthday, she deadpanned to her family, “It’s just sooo much older than 89.” To her granddaughter, she cracked, “I watch so much true crime, I could commit any kind of murder and get away with it.”

Geraldine Mary Turnbull was born during a blizzard on Jan. 24, 1926, to parents Mary Ware Turnbull and William Miller Turnbull of Volley, N.Y. The family, which included her older brother Donald and a younger brother Richard, lived in Port Ontario and Pulaski, N.Y., before moving to Kingsbury, Ind. That’s where her father, who worked for Bates & Rogers Construction Co., moved the family to build an ordnance plant near La Porte, Ind.

In Kingsbury, Geri met the love of her life, Frank Keleher. He later followed her to Illiopolis, Ill., when the Turnbull family moved there in 1942. The two got married at the Visitation Catholic Church Rectory in Illiopolis on June 15, 1944, not long after Frank got his first leave in the Navy. 

After his World War II deployment, the couple eventually settled back in Illiopolis, where they raised four children _ William Keleher (deceased), David (Carolyn) Keleher, Theresa (Ike) Peters, and Karen (Marc) Sanner. Geri and Frank were married 63 years until his death in 2007.

Geri previously worked for Dekalb’s corn seed lab. She served as a trustee to the Illiopolis village board and was the town’s water/sewer bill clerk for many years. But perhaps her greatest and most challenging role was helping to raise her six grandchildren. She also was a key figure in the lives of her extended family members, including niece Lisa Hohenstein.

Geri had five great-grandchildren (with another on the way), along with many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews.

Because of the coronavirus, the family will hold private graveside services. A celebration of Geri’s life will be held at a later date. Memorials may be directed to Illiopolis Fire & EMS or organizations of choice. 

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