Geraldine J. Bishop

Geraldine “Jerrie” Jeffries Bishop, a longtime Bruce Township resident, passed away September 4 at the age of 92 following a brief illness.

Jerrie was born in Detroit on June 2, 1934, the second child of Ira and Lilian (Robinson) Jeffries. The family initially lived on Glenwood Avenue in Detroit. When Jerrie was 11 years old, the family moved to a rural property on 22 Mile Road in Utica. Jerrie blossomed in the rural life. She fondly talked about horseback riding and caring for all the animals the family loved having on the farm.

During her first year in Utica, Jerrie attended a one-room schoolhouse at the corner of 23 Mile Road and Shelby Road. She had many fond memories of that little schoolhouse throughout her life and could still recall the names of many of her fellow students. She later attended Utica High School, where she met Charles Wardell.

Jerrie and Charlie married shortly after high school and welcomed their son, Gordon Ira Wardell. The couple later divorced in 1954. Jerrie began her working career as a secretary at Ford Tractor in Birmingham before accepting a position as an executive secretary with Hamill Manufacturing Company in 1962.

In 1966, Jerrie married John Bishop, and she and Gordon moved to Almont. John had three sons from a previous marriage—Bruce, Paul and John II—and the family became a lively blended household of four boys on the Bishop family farm. Jerrie embraced the challenge of raising four sons and, above all, kept it fun.

Jerrie had many interests and talents. She looked forward to tending a large garden each summer, canning and freezing much of the produce to provide food for the family during the winter. She also took great pride in maintaining the many flower beds that adorned the farm.

An accomplished seamstress, painter and sculptor, Jerrie filled the family homes with her artwork, and many of her paintings remain treasured parts of the houses on the family farm. She and John also shared a love of music and sang together with the Symphonia Corale, based in Romeo, Michigan. Following John's passing in 2011, Jerrie continued singing with the Symphonia Corale until declining health eventually forced her to slow down.

Jerrie was also active in her community and was involved with organizations including the Almont Historical Society, the Almont Literary Club and volunteered at the American Red Cross Blood Drive. Jerrie stayed physically active over the years and attributed her longevity to exercise. Most mornings you could see she and John going for a run around the block (four miles). She and John were regular participants in local charity runs and the Bobby Crim Half Marathon.

Jerrie was raised Catholic, while John was a lifelong member of the First Congregational Church in Almont. Together, they found a way to honor both traditions, attending St. Cornelius Catholic Church on Saturday afternoons and the First Congregational Church on Sundays, where John sang in the choir.

Jerrie will be remembered for her love of family, her creativity, her garden and flowers, her music, and her ability to bring joy and energy to the many lives she touched.

She is survived by her children, Gordon I. (Terri) Wardell of Almont and Paso Robles, California; Bruce A. (Lynn) Bishop of Holt, Michigan; Paul S. Bishop of Marshfield, Vermont; and John S. (Cristi) Bishop II of Portland, Oregon. Jerrie is also survived by seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her loving husband John (2011) and brother, James A. Jeffries (2022).

Memorial services will be held at the First Congregational Church in Almont at a later date, to be announced.

The family kindly requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Four County Community Foundation in the name of the John S. and Geraldine J. Bishop Memorial Fund.

Local arrangements are being handled by Henry M. Malburg Funeral Home, Romeo, Michigan.