GOLATA - Geraldine "Geri" D. Of West Seneca, N.Y. April 4, 2015. Beloved mother of Bonnie (Charlie) Shew and Beth (Ron) Thompson; dear grandmother of Kyle Gintzler, Kevin Gintzler and Daniel Thompson; fond sister of Sandra (John) Harrity, Harry Jr. “Bud” (Peggy) Golata and the late James Golata; loving daughter of the late Harry and Alice Golata; also survived by nieces and nephews. Memorial visitation at the KOLANO FUNERAL HOME, 396 Amherst St. (near Grant), Sunday April 19th 12 noon - 2 PM. Funeral service will be held at 2PM immediately following visitation. Donations in Geri's memory to Make-A-Wish would be appreciated. Please share your memories and online condolences at www.KOLANOFUNERALHOME.com

OBITUARY FOR GERALDINE (GERI) GOLATA

Geri was born on December 21, 1939 to Harry and Alice Golata of Buffalo, NY. As the eldest of four siblings, she spent her childhood in a working class Polish Catholic neighborhood, attended Catholic School and helping Alice raise her three siblings, James, Sandy, and Harry Jr. (Buddy). Geri became an accomplished pianist. She learned to cook and clean and change diapers from an early age. This was, when she and her siblings were not creating the kind of indescribable mischief in the house that they were blessed to share stories and laughter about for the rest of their lives. The family loved dancing, music and were very involved in activities at Dom Polski Center on the East Side of Buffalo. Geri attended Villa Maria Academy in Cheektowaga for her last two years of high school.

Geri aspired to be a nun, but in her late teens met Cal Regula, an aspiring psychologist. They kicked up quite a storm on the dance floor and soon were married. She became a medical secretary while he attended UB, and before long they were parents of Bonnie and Beth. After he obtained his Ph.D he got his first teaching position at Ithaca College and the young family headed off for the lovely city of Ithaca.

While in Ithaca Geri got her first taste of living in the country. She had her first pet, a cat. The family gardened and cooked and Geri not only worked but spent a great deal of time making sure the girls were involved in extracurricular activities like art, drama, and sewing. This was at the time the Vietnam War was escalating, and her list of activities soon included political work to end the war. Environmental degradation was also a major concern for her, so she made sure to involve the family in activities to keep the earth clean and protected.

The next eight years were split between living in Ithaca and Kent, Ohio. In the seventies a combination of personal and political circumstances took an enormous toll, and her marriage disintegrated. She found herself living back in Buffalo with her mother, and eventually attended the University of Buffalo, proudly receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Communication.

The next phase of her life found her working for the state in the SSI office. She bought her own house with income property and enjoyed her first set of grandchildren from Bonnie’s side. Kyle and Kevin were born from Bonnie’s marriage to Mark Gintzler. Several years later Beth married Ron Thompson and gave birth to Danny. They reside in Sacramento and Geri developed a relationship with him from afar.

Eventually Geri began taking more and more care of her mother Alice, while Alice also took care of Geri and some of her medical issues. This became the most intimate and profound relationship of Geri’s life, as they moved to West Seneca and made sure to always live in the building next store to each other, supporting each other in so many important ways. Geri enjoyed feeding birds, and loved occasional trips to the Botanical Gardens.

After Alice passed away in August of 2013, Geri moved into Assisted Living at Glenwell in Cheektowaga and then Brompton Heights in Williamsville. Until the end of her life she enjoyed daily exercise classes, reading, playing bingo, and new friendships.

Geri is survived by Beth, her husband Ron, and Danny; Bonnie, her husband Charlie Shew, and Kyle & Kevin Gintzler; Sandy and Buddy, her siblings, and nieces and nephews Michelle, Jessica, Amy and Ben.

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