Obituary
Florence Mae (Neese) Geary, age 95, went home to be with her eternal family on Thursday, February 29, 2024, with her daughter by her side. She took her last breath under the care of the loving people in the skilled nursing unit at Valley View Retirement Community in Belleville, Pennsylvania.
Florence was born on September 29, 1928 (a leap year) in Gregg Township on the family farm near Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, to the late Franklin Adam Neese and Sarah Catherine (Boyer) Neese.
On July 27, 1946, she married the late Walter Wallace Geary who passed in 1995. They enjoyed playing cards, trips to Florida and Canada, and time with family and friends on their farm near Potters Mills, Pennsylvania.
Florence helped Walter on their farm, worked at Gettig Pharmaceuticals in Spring Mills and Josten’s Yearbooks in State College, and provided daycare in her home. She volunteered with the Potter Township Election Board and American Heart Association. She also was a member of Sprucetown United Methodist Church in Potters Mills where she enjoyed helping to cut cakes and serve people at their public dinners.
She loved to bake and sometimes made up to eight types of cookies at Christmas, including beautiful Santa honey cut-out cookies and cherry winks which she gave to neighbors, family and friends. There often was fruit salad on the table as family gathered in a sunny dining room when she hosted a family meal. Florence often helped her family with butchering near Thanksgiving and she always brought the pumpkin pies.
Florence’s talents also included arranging flowers, decorating wedding cakes, cooking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, and crafting (including beaded Christmas ornaments). She liked playing UNO and continued to remember how to win during much of her time with dementia.
Many things brought her joy, including her grandson who arrived when she was age 70, reading, hummingbirds, cardinals, a cat or kitten on her lap, her cocker spaniels when she was younger, country music (the classics - Patsy Kline to Alan Jackson), watching the Lawrence Welk Show or the Grand Ole Opry, and ice cream at The Frosty Stop (Fye’s) in Centre Hall or Meyer’s Dairy near State College. She enjoyed spotlighting deer on the farm in a red Jeep that she won in a raffle at the Hublersburg carnival in 1968.
She is survived by her daughter, Brenda Geary of Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, and grandson, Nathaniel Bucek of State College, Pennsylvania.
Florence was the last of her generation and was predeceased by her sister Mabel Coble (2002), sister Arlene Leitch (1988), brother Henry Neese (1987), stepbrother Miles Schrader (1976), father Franklin Adam Neese (1971), and mother Sarah (Boyer) Neese (1956).
A celebration of life to share memories of Florence will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to: “Florence Geary Account, Valley View Haven-SNF, 4703 E. Main St, Belleville, PA 17004-9251”. Please mention “Florence Geary Account” in the memo line on the check.
The family wants to thank the staff at Valley View for their love for Florence and the family during their time together. They were our extended family and members of the team cared for her until the last minute she was there, including an escort to the vehicle for her final ride and to say their final “goodbyes”.
She is now basking on the beach in heaven with her little sister and the rest of her family and friends and all is perfect in her world. We will miss her and the adventures that we had with her during her time here.