Geraldine Gonser, 90, of Great Falls, Montana, passed away on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Benefis Health System. Visitation will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Hillcrest Lawn Mausoleum Chapel, with her Funeral Service beginning at 11:00 a.m. Pastor Gary Hart will officiate, with entombment in Hillcrest Lawn Mausoleum immediately following the service.
Geraldine was born June 4, 1936, the only child of Raymond Dennis and Gladys Bertha (Zaun) Kopp in Jamestown, North Dakota, where she was raised and educated. After finishing school, she set out for Minneapolis, Minnesota, and went to work at an electrical manufacturing plant. It was in Minneapolis that she met Clarence Gonser, the man with whom she would build a marriage, a family, and a lifetime of adventures. Geraldine and Clarence were married on April 10, 1959, in Great Falls, where they made their home and raised their family.
Once their six children were in school, Geraldine went to work at the dry cleaners on Malmstrom Air Force Base, but creativity was always one of the great driving forces in her life. She developed a passion for ceramics, first working from home and later opening her own ceramic shop near 9th Avenue South and 16th Street. Alongside her business partner, Becky, Geraldine created beautiful pieces and taught others the craft she loved. Her work even earned recognition in a national ceramics magazine.
Ceramics were only part of Geraldine’s creative world. She also crocheted and was forever making something, including little animals, figures, and other creations. Her children sometimes took her handiwork around the neighborhood to sell for a little spending money—a fun task for the kids fueled by Geraldine’s seemingly endless productivity.
Geraldine approached her mind with much the same energy. She was a voracious reader with a particular love for nonfiction, research, and history. She enjoyed puzzles and logic games and could happily settle in with a Sudoku. She loved life, and that love fueled her curiosity, capability, creativity, and interest in the world around her throughout her long life.
She and Clarence were enthusiastic travelers, seeing parts of Europe and Asia as well as Japan, Mexico, Fiji, and many other destinations. Fiji held a special place in Geraldine’s heart. Sometimes she and Clarence traveled as a couple; other times, the adventure grew to include family, with memorable trips to places such as Disneyland and Disney World. They shared a close marriage and a great deal of life together. After Clarence’s death in 1997, Geraldine continued forward for another 29 years, carrying with her the memories of the life they had built while continuing to remain engaged with her family and the world around her.
Home life was rarely dull, either. The Gonser family shared their lives with an impressive assortment of animals over the years—dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, turtles, hamsters, guinea pigs, and even a monkey. Geraldine’s enterprising spirit also extended to treasure hunting; the local newspaper credits her with helping start the practice of garage sales in Great Falls.
Longevity for Geraldine was about far more than the number of years she lived. Her 90 years were filled with making, learning, traveling, reading, solving, teaching, raising a family, caring for animals, and finding new things to experience. She possessed a wonderful ability to stay interested in life and to keep participating in it. As she grew older, Geraldine faced increasing difficulty with her eyesight, particularly during the final five years of her life. Even when reading and some of her longtime activities became more difficult, she found other ways to stay connected. On Sundays, she listened to her daughter Tammy’s sermons she had heard, continuing a lifelong pattern of listening, learning, and keeping close to those she loved.
Geraldine was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Clarence Gonser; son, Jim Gonser; grandson, Dana Gonser; and son-in-law, Jim Shigley.
She is survived by her children, Jeanie Shigley, Steve (Karen J.) Gonser, Jaelynn (Joe) Johnson, Blake (Karen L.) Gonser, and Tammy (Donnie) Miller; daughter-in-law, Cindy Gonser; as well as her 12 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, 8 great-great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews, who carry forward the legacy of a woman who packed a remarkable amount of living into 90 years.
In lieu of flowers, the Gonser family requests memorials in Geraldine’s name be made to the Central Montana Parkinson’s Support Group or to an animal shelter in your local community.
