Geraldine Rood

Geraldine Elizabeth Rood, 81, of Covert, beloved mother, wife, and grandmother, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, May 17 in South Haven. She had just finished playing a piano accompaniment for the children’s choir at church when she collapsed. Since her church and music were very important to Gerry, her passing was in keeping with her life.
She was born May 2, 1928 in Flint, Michigan to Joseph and Laura (Pratt) Emmert. She attended Michigan State College where she met Paul Joseph Rood, Jr. in a student church group. They were married on July 15, 1950. After finishing advanced degrees, they spent four years in California, where their daughter Kathryn was born. In 1956, they moved to the rood family farm in Covert where they raised tree fruit crops for over fifty years. Three more children, Paul, Phillip and Laura, were all born in Michigan.
Gerry was trained as a medical technician, and she worked at South Haven Community Hospital during the 1970’s. In 1988, she was elected Clerk for Covert Township, where she served until 1996.
Gerry worked on a variety of committees and boards at First Congregational Church in South Haven. She served as a substitute organist during the 1970-90’s and was a pianist at the church’s summer chapel service. She has helped hundreds of Sunday schoolchildren to learn the song “Jesus Loves Me,” by accompanying them on the autoharp.
Gerry loved animals. She always had at least one dog and one cat as part of the family. She was a volunteer on the Board of Directors of Al-Van Humane Society. She also was a member of Covert’s Organization for a Better Community, the American Guild of Organists, and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Noteworthy, too, was her admiration for the beauty of Alaska. She and her daughter, Kathryn, rode the Alaskan Marine Highway ferry boat along the Alaskan coastline eight times.
Gerry is part of a large extended family, and she and Paul have hosted many family reunions on their fruit farm, including the annual Emmert gathering, attended by over 200 people last October.
Gerry is preceded in death along with her parents and elder brother, Joseph Vincent.
She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Paul and her children and their families: Kathryn Rood of Seattle, WA; Paul Rood III and Susan Philbrick of Bellevue, WA; Philip Rood of St. Joseph, MI; and Laura and Cheng Kao of Bloomington, IN and her granddaughter, Addy and Reni Kao.
Memorial services celebrating Gerry’s life will be held on Saturday, May 23, at 3:00 PM at the First Congregational Church in South Haven. A private burial service has already taken place. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Al-Van Human Society or the Music Fund at First Congregational Church. Kindly share your thoughts and memories on the family’s online guest book at www.FilbrandtFFH.com.

The family is being helped by the Filbrandt Family Funeral Home of South Haven 637-0333.