Geraldine Mary Fantone's Obituary
Obituary
Geraldine (Gerry) Mary Farrell Fantone, 90, of Frederick, MD, passed away surrounded by her family on Monday, May 11th, at Homewood at Crumland Farms. Born October 7, 1924 in Bronx, New York, she was the daughter of James J. Farrell Sr. and Marie Nehrbas Farrell.She was a graduate of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in White Plains, NY and Mount St. Vincent College in Riverdale, NY, where she received a Bachelor's degree in Social Work. Early in her career she was a social worker in Harlem, NY. Gerry is Roman Catholic and one of the founding members at Holy Family Catholic Community in Middletown, MD.She married William (Bill) Francis Fantone, Jr. on January 3, 1948, and together they raised a family of eight children in Levittown and Massapequa New York, and in 1965 moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland, where she was an active member of the community and St. Martin's Catholic Church. In 1976, she moved to Middletown, Maryland, where she and Bill operated High Hopes Farm until 2006, selling strawberries and Christmas trees to the public. Gerry was an accomplished pianist and organist. She sang in her high school and college choir as well as the choir at Holy Family. She instilled her passion for music in her children and shared her mutual love of music and dancing with her husband, Bill. She was an aspiring journalist and contributed articles to both the Middletown and Brunswick Citizen papers. A lover of animals, she bred and raised Irish Setters for many years. She devoted her life to her husband, her children and her church. Her greatest joys in life came from entertaining her children, grandchildren and friends at the endless social gatherings at her home. Gerry could always be found at the piano playing any song her audience requested or swimming for hours in the pool at the farm. She was predeceased by her husband, Bill, in March 2013 and her eldest son, Terry, in September 2012. She was also predeceased by her brother, James J. Farrell, Jr. and sister, Catherine McGrail Osnato. She is survived by her sister, Mary Margaret Fischer of Avenel, NJ. She is survived by her children, Maureen Lee (Herbie) of Mount Airy; Sean Fantone of Hagerstown; Gerri Stoner (Dick) of Rockville; Suzanne Kelly (Mark) of Frederick; Elizabeth Fantone of Hagerstown; Timothy Fantone (Diane) of Annapolis and Katey Fantone (Andrea Cavallo) of West Melbourne, Fla. She is survived by nine grandchildren- Christopher Lee, Angela Herrin, Timothy Kelly, Amanda Kelly, Alyssa Stoner, Bailey Stoner, Molly Kelly, Jamie Stoner and Lucy Fantone. She is also survived by her three great-granddaughters- Cadence, McKenna and Adelyn. The family wishes to thank the caregivers at Homewood Willows Unit for the excellent care of our mother and their amazing compassion and professionalism over the past seven years. Services will be held at Holy Family Catholic Community in Middletown, MD on Tuesday, May 19th at 10:30 am. Interment is private.In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Gerry's name to the Homewood Foundation, P.O. Box 250, Williamsport, MD 21795. Chapel MausoleumResthaven Memorial Gardens9501 Catoctin Mtn. Hwy.Frederick, MD 21701 Saturday, May 16, 2015 ServiceResthaven Historical Chapel9501 Catoctin Mtn. Hwy.Frederick, MD 21701 Tuesday, May 19, 2015 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.
What’s your fondest memory of Geraldine?
What’s a lesson you learned from Geraldine?
Share a story where Geraldine's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Geraldine you’ll never forget.
How did Geraldine make you smile?