Geraldine (Jerry) Jannazo Powers, age 87, passed away Monday, January 25, 2016, in Tiffin. She was born in Cleveland, the eleventh of twelve children of Louis and Maria (LaScala) Jannazo. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy and Notre Dame College and earned a master’s in library science from Western Reserve University in 1950. She lived her entire life in Cleveland until moving to Elmwood at the Shawhan in Tiffin in December 2014.
Jerry was predeceased by her husband of 64 years, A. Thomas Powers (Tom), and by ten of her sisters and brothers. She is survived by her seven children: Maureen (John) Vela of Tiffin, OH; Cathy (Mike) Brady of Prospect Hts., IL; Mary Ellen (Danny Sauls) of Alexandria, VA; Tom (Ann) of Cincinnati, OH; Jerry (Therese Sullivan) of South Bend, IN; Nancy (John Duffey) of Dublin, OH; and Tony (Cecilia) of Folsom, CA. Jerry was the devoted grandmother of 28 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Virginia, and numerous nieces and nephews. Jerry worked as a librarian at the Cleveland Public Library and, after raising her children, worked with Tom at Bauer Surveys Company until they retired in 1997. But no one who knew her doubted that her most important career was shepherding her family. While she could not understand her children’s and grandchildren’s wanderlust, she was curious about many things, and genuinely interested in the life stories of the people she met. Her faith was incredibly important, and it was clear that she felt blessed to be visited on her final day by 5 members of the CLC prayer group she had belonged to since college. The family would like to thank the Elmwood staff for their terrific concern for Mom.
The family will receive friends at the DeJohn-Flynn-Mylott Funeral Home, 4600 Mayfield Road, South Euclid, Ohio on Friday, January 29, from 4:00 to 8:00. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, January 30 at St. Clare Catholic Church in Lyndhurst, Ohio at 10:30 AM. Burial will follow at Lake View Cemetery.
A Memorial Mass will be 1 pm Wednesday, March 2, 2016, at St. Francis Home Chapel, 182 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin, Ohio, with Rev. Frank Murd officiating.
Contributions may be made in Jerry’s name to Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, 8380 Colesville Road #300, Silver Spring, MD 20910 for the benefit of Casa Corazon de la Misericordia orphanage in Honduras, a school supported by her family for many years.
Local arrangements are under the direction of Traunero Funeral Home and Crematory. To send condolences to the family, go to: www.traunerofuneralhome.com
Charitable donations may be made to:
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
8380 Colesville Road #300, Silver Spring MD 20910