Valley Presbyterian Service for Geraldine Mae Appleton Rev. Diane Christopher, Pastor Columbarium, Central Park, La Posada Green Valley, Arizona September 16, 2026 1
Welcome from Rev. Diane Christopher, Pastor Gerry was a member at Valley Presbyterian since 1991, 35 years. We have a paper file on each member, and in Gerry’s file was a worship service that she had put together for her memorial in January of 2015. I have taken parts of that service for our time together today. Opening words from Gerry “It is my intent to make this occasion one of blessing, rejoicing in God and His creation of which I am an infinitesimal part. Each and every day of my life I knew that God was with me through the Holy Spirit and guided me constantly. Sometimes I did not listen and follow His guidance. Any success that I may have had in anything in my life is due to this belief in Hi presence and help. I believe He is in and of everything in existence, and we need only look and see His Presence even in the darkest times and places.”
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Family Sharing and Remembrance Carolyn Mae Appleton (b. 1955) Our Mother was smart, sensitive to others, and she was well organized in managing all aspects of her home and family. Her commitment to her children throughout her life was unwavering. And there were challenging times when she could have given up on us (and maybe she should have)! But she never did, through the hard times and the good times. When I returned home to Austin after visiting La Posada after her death, I was going through old cards and notes, and I found several birthday and holiday cards from our Mother and Father. Those lovely sentiments meant so much. All these years, not one birthday was missed without a greeting, nor Christmas. And I will miss coming to la Posada at Christmas so much this year! My closing words come from a song from Celine Dion, “Because You Loved Me.” While writing this statement, I spent days pouring through The Bible and songs of all kinds in the hope of finding just the right words to share today. This one is perfect.
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Here is the first verse and the chorus. For all those times you stood by me For all the truth that you made me see For all the joy you brought to my life For all the wrong that you made right For every dream you made come true For all the love I found in you I'll be forever thankful You're the one who held me up Never let me fall You're the one who saw me through, through it all You were my strength when I was weak You were my voice when I couldn't speak You were my eyes when I couldn't see You saw the best there was in me Lifted me up when I couldn't reach You gave me faith because you believed I'm everything I am Because you loved me.” 6
God bless you, Mom. Thank you for caring for and loving us all these years. We are so very lucky, so very grateful. We will miss you greatly. Please take the time to read our Mother’s obituary online and to add your own comments and see her profile and that of our Father on Ancestry.com. I have worked hard to add meaningfully to those statements, and I think you will enjoy getting to know them better. Katharine Ann Appleton Cole (b. 1957) Katharine chose to read a poem by Pulitzer Price winning poet Mary Oliver. “In Blackwater Woods Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars
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of light, are giving off the rich fragrance of cinnamon and fulfillment, the long tapers of cattails are bursting and floating away over the blue shoulders of the ponds, and every pond, no matter what its name is, is nameless now. Every year everything I have ever learned
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in my lifetime leads back to this: the fires and the black river of loss whose other side is salvation, whose meaning none of us will ever know. To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, then the time comes to let it go, to let it go.”
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American Primitive: Poems by Mary Oliver | Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company, first copyright 1978.
Words of Interment Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” In sure and certain hope of this resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ, we comment to almighty God, Geraldine Appleton, and we commit her ashes to their final resting place. She has been given a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at last. Gerry’s Parting Words “I believe our human concept of god is very small, and there are dimensions of existence that we cannot imagine. I am not afraid of death, just the process of dying. I will dislike leaving my dear, precious husband and best friend. I will greatly miss my wonderful and delightful daughters, Carolyn and Katharine. I want my family and friends to know that I am at peace with God’s plan for me.”
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Gerry’s two daughters Carolyn and Katharine would like to thank everyone who attended the Service in memory of Geraldine Mae Appleton on September 16, 2026. Donations may be made to Valley Presbyterian online via the website (valleypresbyterian.net). Obituary Links ❖ Green Valley Mortuary: greenvalleymortuary.net/obituaries/geraldine-gerry-appleton ❖ Green Valley News: legacy.com/us/obituaries/gvnews/name/geraldine-appletonobituary?id=62205419 ❖ The Ely Times: elynews.com/2026/08/19/obituary-geraldine-mae-appleton
Carolyn and Katharine also thank La Posada for remembering their mother on September 8 during the Community Remembrance, and for the excellent service to our late mother by the staff of La Posada while she and our late father lived within the community. We are truly grateful. Questions? Email: carolyn@carolynmappleton.com. 11
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