Gloria Jean Geer

Gloria Jean Geer, age 84, of New Albany, Ohio, passed away from natural causes on May 5, 2026. Gloria was born on February 28, 1942, to Imogene and Lester Chess at Champaign County Hospital in Urbana, Ohio.

As a young girl, she spent summers at Wakatomika Christian Service Camp in Gambier, Ohio. The camp, which opened in 1945, is one of the longest continually operating service camps in the state. In one letter home from camp, young Gloria acknowledged that she must be missed by the rest of the family and joked that if she did not write home, she “would not get any supper.”

After graduating from Urbana High School in 1960, Gloria became engaged to her high school sweetheart, Emerson “Butch” McConnell, who tragically died in a car accident in 1965. Years later, Gloria married Fred Geer (deceased) and began her decades-long career at Grimes Manufacturing Company, a leader in aerospace lighting. Gloria could be whimsical at times and, affectionately, her co-workers nicknamed her “Rose” after the character from The Golden Girls.

Gloria took pride in everything she did and always strived to better herself for her family. Following the passage of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974, she was among the first generation of women able to obtain a mortgage and credit card without a husband or male co-signer.

Gloria was completely dedicated to her daughters and grandsons, enjoying trips to the local bowling alley and the Chakeres Urbana Twin Cinema with the boys. As a young mother of two, she often took her daughters to weekend horror films at the Melody and Show Boat Drive-In theaters — experiences her daughters never forgot.

After retirement, Gloria enjoyed old movies, game shows and sitcoms, Ohio State football, and politics. A devoted Buckeyes fan, she attended her first Ohio State football game during the 2013 season against Iowa. She closely followed domestic politics and world affairs, sharing her views and opinions during evening phone calls with family.

Gloria was an exemplary mother figure and human being. She embodied the best qualities: unconditional love, strength of spirit, grit and determination, and unending generosity, all of which could be seen in the care she gave to her family and friends. The world is a little less bright without her in it, and she will be deeply missed.

She is survived by her sister, Vicki Chess; daughters, Lisa McConnell and Pamela (Dwayne) Siekman; grandsons, Terence (Tiffany) Harvel and Bryan Harvel; six great-grandchildren; and one great, great-grandchild.

A celebration of Gloria’s life will be held in Urbana in late June. All are welcome, and further details will follow.