Madison Messenger - May 10th, 2020

PAGE 8 - MADISON MESSENGER - May 10, 2020
www.madisonmessengernews.com
Celebrating senior citizens
She has lived from one pandemic to the next
By Kristy Zurbrick
Madison Editor
Very few people living today can say they experienced not one,
but two pandemics during their lifetimes. London resident Geraldine
Henry is one of those people.
Geraldine was 5 years old in 1918 at the onset of the Spanish
flu, which lasted into 1919 and infected nearly a third of the world’s
population. When sharing stories about the pandemic, Geraldine
referred to it as “the terrible sickness.”
“She used to talk about how when she and her mother came into
town from the farm, her mother would have her wait outside the
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store. She wouldn’t let her go in,” said Cindy
Gross, who has known Geraldine her entire
life and serves as her power of attorney.
Also from that time, Geraldine recalled
how the church her family attended on
Route 56 was closed for several months.
Now, she is living through the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic, and in the
midst of it, turned 107 years old.
Born on April 28, 1913, Geraldine is the
only child of the late William and Cora
Henry. William was a farmer who later
served as caretaker of First United
Methodist Church of London. Cora was a
housewife.
The family moved from the country to
East Fourth Street in London in 1945,
where Geraldine lived until six years ago
when she became a resident at Sisters On
Elm assisted living center in London. The
East Fourth Street house sits across the
Geraldine Henry (center) was born to William and Cora Henry on
street from the Methodist church, where
April 28, 1913. Geraldine celebrated her 107th birthday this year.
Geraldine was a Sunday school teacher,
church historian and member of several committees.
A graduate of Cedarville College, Geraldine spent her working
life as a teacher, first at Catawba High School then at Northeastern
High School. She primarily taught American history.
“She was loved by all of her students,” Cindy said. “And she
loved her students. Whenever you talk to any of them, they say she
was firm but fair and she always treated everyone equally.”
For many, many years, Geraldine attended the Catawba school
reunions.
The same care she showed to her students, Geraldine showed to
her parents, for whom she cared into their late years, and to others.
“She used to make angel food cakes whenever someone was sick,
there was a death, or someone needed a pick-me-up. That was kind
of her ministry,” Cindy said.
Geraldine also adores cats. At one time, she had a cat named
Ruffey that she walked on a leash like a dog. She also was known
to take alley cats under her wing.
“Whenever she started feeding one of them, I’d say that was that
cat’s lucky day to have met Geraldine Henry. She spoiled them. She
took really good
care of them—not
At one time, Geraldine Henry had a cat
named Ruffey that she walked on a leash
like a dog. The pair turned heads on Main
Street in London.
Geraldine Henry got her start as a teacher
at Catawba High School. She is shown
here heading out to one of the many, many
Catawba reunions she attended after the
school closed in the 1950s.
just feeding them but taking them to the
vet, too.”
Known for her quick wit and sense of
humor, Geraldine also is known for having
a big appetite.
“One of her favorite expressions is, “I can
eat like a farmhand,’” Cindy said, noting
that Geraldine watched her mother feed the
farm workers during the Depression. “And
she still has a great appetite, especially for
cookies.”
Here’s to a full life.