Janet Stewart Geer dies at age 90 from the Class of 1949 on Dec. 5th 2021

Janet Lois Stewart Geer

Date of Death: December 5, 2021

Date of Birth: October 17, 1931

Biography:
Brunswick, ME

Janet Stewart Geer, 90, passed away peacefully at Gosnell House Hospice in Scarborough, Maine on Sunday, December 5, 2021.

Janet was born in Fairfax, Vermont, on October 17, 1931 to the late Frank Clifford and Rena (Stebbins) Stewart. Her early education was at Bellows Free Academy in Fairfax where she loved to go to dances, played the clarinet and basketball and was class valedictorian. Janet earned her Bachelor’s degree from The University of Vermont, studying history and political science followed by a year’s study at Katherine Gibbs School in Boston. Upon graduation, she began working at Lake Champlain Transportation Company in Burlington, Vermont, where she met David Wyman Geer, Sr. He would become her husband of more than 50 years.

Janet soon found her true calling, teaching. She often said that teaching was the best time of her life. She taught in the business education department at South Burlington High School for over 25 years, earning her Master’s degree while teaching full time. Former students often stopped her on the street to tell her how much they appreciated her lessons.

After her retirement, Janet kept busy sewing, quilting, knitting, reading, baking and taking her daily walk. She was active in the Church, attending both the Congregational Church in South Hero, Vermont and the United Church in Fairfax, Vermont. She loved to sing in the choir and was known for the goodies she baked for the Fall Church Bazaar.

Janet was fiercely independent throughout her life and preferred staying in motion to sitting still. One of her passions was summering at her beloved family cottage on Birch Island, Maine. She started each day with an ocean swim, “the colder, the better!” and her daily walk. While there she also enjoyed many friends and pursued her hobbies, including production of her famous molasses cookies which she lovingly shared with other island families. Her island time reinvigorated her each year and created an abundance of memories for her family, her grandchildren in particular.

Janet’s devotion to her family was unwavering. She showed her love in so many ways - cooking favorite meals, sewing clothes and knitting our favorite wool socks, caring for her grandchildren when they were small and offering help when needed to name a few. In the last few years, Janet lived with her daughter in Brunswick, Maine. She remained active by accompanying Judy on daily excursions and longer trips to explore more of the state. If ice cream were involved, all the better.

Janet is survived by her son David Geer, Jr. and his wife Lisa (Phillips) of Moultonborough, New Hampshire; her daughter Judith Geer of Brunswick, Maine; two grandchildren, Emily Geer and her boyfriend Lucas Hanson of Portland, Maine, and Connor Geer of Carrboro, North Carolina; and several nieces and nephews. Janet was predeceased by her husband David Geer, Sr., and her sister Beverly Taylor.

An informal reception will be held in the spring in Fairfax, Vermont, on a date to be determined. An additional celebration of life will be held on Birch Island next summer. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made either to the United Church of Fairfax, PO Box 204, Fairfax, VT 05454; or to the Gosnell House Hospice, 11 Hunnewell Road, Scarborough, ME 04074. Condolences may be shared at www.funeralalternatives.net