On July 26th of 2023, at 11:13 am, Mrs. Geraldine “Toodles/Gerri/Oma” Heck passed away in Palm Harbor, Florida. She was 88 years old.

Geraldine Heck was born in Philadelphia on April 13th, 1935, to Louis and Miriam Walter. In her childhood, she helped her father with his gas station, in between school and caring for her younger siblings. In her early adulthood, she met and married Mr. Edwin Heck; the couple adopted Dana and his sister Tracy Heck. Besides raising her children, Gerri worked several jobs such as being a florist, administration at Bell Telephone Company, monorail operator at the Philadelphia Zoo and a preschool teacher. She eventually moved to Arizona with her husband where she helped raise her two grandchildren, Emma and Hannah Heck. Gerri loved baking, reading, crocheting, and doing arts and crafts with them. In her later life, she moved to Florida to be with her son Dana and his family, where she often hosted Sunday dinners bringing all close relatives together. Family was incredibly important to Gerri; she also considered her furry pets to be family too. Her daughter-in-law Holly recounts many times she rescued stray cats off the street to provide them with a warm loving home, even if those cats knocked over the ornaments off her precious Christmas tree. Gerri’s proudest accomplishment in life was raising her family, including her grandchildren.

She is survived by her son, Dana, her daughter Tracy, her daughter in law Holly, and her grandchildren, Emma and Hannah, as well as her sisters, Diane Huff and DeeDee Fleming. Gerri is preceded in death by her husband Mr. Edwin Heck and siblings.

Gerri was a kind, generous woman whose youthful sense of humor and unconditional love will be deeply missed. If obliged, please consider donating to your local SPCA in her memory.