Georgianne Rediger Gerhart was born October 26, 1928 in Laurel, Nebraska. Her parents were Vic and Anne (Hansen) Rediger. She passed away on February 13, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska with her family by her side.
Georgie, as she was known, attended elementary school in Omaha and moved to Tekamah, Nebraska her sophomore year of high school. She graduated from Tekamah High School in 1946. It was in junior high school that she acquired the nickname, “Torchy”, which continued through her college years. Georgie attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She met H.L. (Bud) Gerhart at an hour dance during their freshman year at UNL. After college she and Bud became engaged and Georgie taught school in Red Oak, Iowa.
Bud, an Ensign, United States Navy, was assigned to San Diego, California during the summer of 1950. Two weeks later the Korean War broke out and Bud sailed for Korea on an aircraft carrier where he was stationed for a year. During the summer of 1951, Bud received orders to report to Legal School in Newport, Rhode Island in the next fourteen days. He called Georgie and asked if they could quickly get married and she said yes. Soon the newlyweds were off to Rhode Island where their first child, Jeff, was born. Following Bud’s service, they made their home in Newman Grove and had two more children, daughters Julie and Sarah. Newman Grove was their home for 58 years until they moved to Lincoln.
In Newman Grove, Georgie was involved in her children’s activities including Den Mother for Jeff’s Cub Scout troop as well as Girl Scout Troop leader for Julie and Sarah, participating in meetings, day camps and overnight camping trips. She was involved in church activities at the United Methodist Church in Newman Grove and later was an active member of the Fellowship Bible Church. Georgie was a member of PEO Chapter DO and also involved in the Newman Grove Library Book Club. Additional community service included assisting with English as a Second Language classes at Newman Grove Public School and teaching summer tennis lessons at the city park. Georgie was a supportive partner throughout Bud’s banking career and served as director and shareholder of the Bank of Newman Grove. When Bud became President of Independent Bankers Association of America, Georgie, as “First Lady” traveled with Bud to many IBAA meetings and made many wonderful friends.
Georgie’s interests included tennis, golf, biking, skiing, bridge, needlework and her grandchildren. She and Bud biked the USA, Europe, Canada and New Zealand with several dear biking friends and have wonderful memories from those trips. There were many family ski trips to Colorado, summer vacations in the Black Hills and weekends spent boating and water skiing on Lewis and Clark Lake.
In their retirement years Bud and Georgie were snowbirds in Tucson, AZ, where they biked, played tennis and made wonderful friends in the Saddlebrook Community. Since Georgie’s mother, Anne, was 100% Danish, Georgie had a keen interest in her Danish heritage. She visited her relatives in Denmark and kept in touch with her family in Laurel. The City Café in Newman Grove hosted Danish Dinners for many years which Georgie started with several other Danes in the community. She also made a delicious Danish Kringle at Christmas time.
Georgie was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ and devoted student of the Bible. She loved reading scripture and participated in many Bible studies, always seeking to strengthen her faith journey. Her children and grandchildren benefited from the written scriptures they received and the inspiration and guidance provided by their mom and grandma as she shared her faith with them.
Georgie is survived by her husband, Bud, of 66 years; her children, Jeff (Rebecca) Gerhart, Julie (Peter) Skeffington and Sarah (Jeff) Peetz; grandchildren, Patrick (Quinn) Gerhart, Kyle (Taylor) Klaas, Ally Peetz, Katy (Randy) Moon, Anne (Collin) Johansen, Carly (Matt) Weber, Jim (Dana) Skeffington, Anne Marie (Scott) Disney and Hillary Skeffington; great grandchildren, Jack and Georgia Weber and Jay Gerhart; sister Kay (Roger) Ottenbach, sister-in-law, Mary Ellen (Carl) Petersen; cousins Susan Christensen (Keith), Ruth Ann Larson (Tom) and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Juanita (Poochie) Maloney, and brothers-in-law Ed Maloney and Carl Petersen.
Memorials to Newman Grove Community Foundation/Jeff Gerhart; P.O. Box 479; Newman Grove, NE 68758. University of Nebraska Foundation UNL Speech-Language Pathology Program Fund;1010 Lincoln Mall, Suite 300, Lincoln, NE 68508.