Geraldine Strong

Geraldine Strong was born, Alta Geraldine Miller, on March 24, 1937 in a four-room farm house near Aubrey, Texas about ten miles northeast of Denton, Texas. She passed from this life to be with her Lord and Savior on March 9, 2025. Geraldine grew up in a simple life on the farm with her parents Oscar and Alice Miller and her brother Lawrence. They grew peanuts and cotton and had a garden for vegetables and her mother made her dresses out of printed flour sacks. They hand drew water from a well and carried it to the house until they got electricity when she was eight. Her early school years through fifth grade were in a two-room schoolhouse. For sixth grade, she rode a bus into Denton, Texas. Following sixth grade, they moved to Denton, where she completed her education and then attended North Texas State University where she met and married her love, Darrell Strong on February 11, 1956. Darrell and Geraldine moved to Garland, Texas in June of 1968 where they became very active members of the First Baptist Church of Garland. On August 19, 1968 Geraldine began working at FBC Garland as Records Secretary where she remained until her retirement in 2001. She was admired by the church staff and members alike for her quiet dedication, gracious spirit, and congeniality. Geraldine’s husband, Darrell, was very much a people person, but as opposites attract, Geraldine was quiet and shy and preferred to stay in the background. She was fired from her first job when she was fifteen because she didn’t want to talk to customers. She did manage to overcome her shyness enough to answer the phone at FBC and interact with all the members and staff who would come to her with requests. One staff member was quoted as saying “She is one of the most dedicated, patient Christians I know, an inspiration to work with.” Geraldine’s favorite pastime was reading. She collected over a thousand books over the years and unlike most of us, read every one of them. She also loved recipe books and enjoyed browsing through them, planning new dishes to try out. She and her mother, Alice Miller, actually put together their own recipe book with collections of recipes from Alice’s fellow Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) colleagues as well as from many family members and friends. There are many family members and close friends who still cook dishes from the “LVN Cookbook” as they titled it. Geraldine loved studying her bible. She read her bible daily and between her and Darrell amassed a large volume of bible study books that she would also read. She also loved her Joy Sunday School class, which she continued to attend via Zoom along with every Sunday worship service, which she attended virtually in her last years. Geraldine was preceded in death by her parents, Oscar and Alice Miller and her husband, Darrell Strong as well as many in-laws including Jimmy Royce (Sonny) Strong, George Sherwood (GS) Strong, Wayand Jones, Gordon Pierce, Murray Jones, Carnes Alexander, MaxLene Strong, and Ruth Strong. She is survived by her children, Mike Strong and his wife Sheri, Jerri Strong and her husband Steve Cozart, Donna Reeves, and Tania Fernandez. She is also survived by her brother, Lawrence and his wife Kay; her brother-in-law, Hillard and his wife Sarah Joe; her sisters-in-law, Maureen Jones, Ina Marie (Rea) Pierce, and Betty Alexander. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Chris Strong and his wife Sandra, Kelley Gomez and her husband Jose, Rebecca Plattner and her husband Blake, Rachel Johnson and her husband Chris, Reagan Alcorn and her husband Chris, Vanessa Knagg and her husband Alex, and Natalie Simpson and her husband Rusty. Her great grandchildren include Callie and Haylie Burke, Tate Strong, Sebastian (Bash), Jocelyn, and Leighton Gomez, Lenna and Livie Plattner, Evelyn and Sonny Johnson, Braden, Brantley (Bubba), and Bryson Alcorn, Sayla and Havana Simpson, and Lincoln and Henry Knagg. Plus, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. The family will receive friends from 10:00am to 11:00am on Thursday, March 27, 2025 at First Baptist Church of Garland. A celebration of Geraldine's life will begin immediately following visitation at 11:00am also at First Baptist. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the First Baptist Church Legacy Building Fund, 801 W. Ave D, Garland, TX 75040.

Geraldine Strong

March 24, 1937 - March 9, 2025