Geraldine Johnston (nee Helmbold)

July 31, 2025 at 102 years of age. Born in Syracuse, NY to Arthur and Mary (Greene) Helmbold, she attended Baldwinsville High School and business school. She trained as a secretary and was proud of her Pitman shorthand and typing speed. She worked as an executive secretary at First Trust Bank in Syracuse and at other companies over the years with her last position being secretary to Superintendent William Dadey of the Gates Chili Central School District.

Gerry took flying lessons as a young woman and often commented on the cloud formations she learned about. As with others of her generation, WWII was a defining event and ended her plans to become a licensed pilot.

She married Clarke A. Johnston in 1950, and they moved around the country as he continued serving in the U.S. Air Force after the war. Clarke was on duty at the Rome Air Force Base throughout the Cuban Missile Crisis. With the possibility of Russia attacking, the base commander gave Gerry and other military wives German handguns seized in WWII. She became a good shot.

The Johnstons settled in Pittsford, NY with their son Douglas. Clarke died in 1981, and Gerry continued working until her retirement in 1994.

In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her son Douglas, her sister Georgia Anklin; sister and brother-in-law Jacqueline and Kenneth Balch; brother and sister-in-law Arthur Jr. and Nancy Helmbold. She is survived by many cousins, nieces and nephews, and daughter-in-law Nancy Caple Johnston of DeWitt, NY.

Sincere gratitude for excellent care is expressed to the staff of the first floor of The Living Center at The Highlands in Pittsford, NY.

Gerry will be interred privately in Lakeview Cemetery in Interlaken, NY between her beloved husband and son.