Geraldine Theresa Michaels

Geraldine Gerry Theresa (Dosser) Michaels, 89, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2022, surrounded by her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Lorraine (Sheehan) Dosser. She is survived by her devoted and handsome husband Clayton Michaels; her loving children: her sons Clayton Jr (Suzanne) and John (Mary); her daughter Jennifer (Francis) Satnik; her grandchildren Lisa (Charles), Clayton III (Carla), James (Sarah), Christopher, Raymond, and Gordon; her great-grandchildren Jason and Kaylee; and her brother Wayne (Jone) Dosser.

Gerry will be deeply missed by her dedicated husband, Clayton. She loved her faith and was highly active at Sacred Heart Church in St Paul for many years. Gerry was the ultimate grade-school teacher with a sincere heart for doing what she loved every day with countless students across many decades. She loved reading, travel, cooking and entertaining friends and family at the family lake home, which was a magnet for all.

Funeral service at 11am on Friday March 25^th, 2022, at St Mary of the Lake, Church 4741 Bald Eagle Ave, White Bear Lake, MN 55110. Visitation before the service, beginning at 10am. Interment at St Mary’s Cemetery, 2980 Helen St, North St Paul, MN 55109. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Gerry’s name to your favorite charity.

Gerry’s Story

Geraldine Gerry Michaels was born on New Year's Day 1933 heralding a new year and an extraordinary life that would span 89 years. She spent her early years in Caledonia and La Crescent in southeastern Minnesota before moving with her parents and new brother to St. Paul. Gerry went to school with her friends at St. Agnes High School and considered becoming a nun, and then graduated from the University of St Catherine.

About 1950 at St Catherine’s, she joined a bible study group (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) of 20-30 young people that turned out to be more party than bible and where true friendships were created that have lasted even through this day. This key group led to Gerry meeting her composer husband-to-be, Clay, where he became the love of her life, and they were married in 1954. They spent their first days of marriage in St. Paul, then moved to Duluth before settling on the east side of St Paul to raise the children. When the boys left the house, they moved to Lake Elmo, building their dream lake home.

Gerry poured her heart into teaching, starting at Wilder preschool before moving to St. Casimir’s elementary school where she stayed for two decades educating countless students. When she retired, she continued to substitute teach at schools around St. Paul. Many of these students would seek her out years later, even as recently as 2020, and recount how key she was to their successes.

She took a break from teaching for a while to raise two boys and one girl who she loved madly. When the children were old enough, Gerry went right back to her mission to teach young people in a Catholic school setting.

Gerry had a passion for hosting gatherings at her home in Lake Elmo on Lake Demontreville which became a far-reaching magnet for her large extended family, cousins, friends, and neighbors. She loved just sitting in an innertube on the lake while the fish nibbled her toes, voraciously reading books, a passion she inherited from her mother, Lorraine. Gerry formed a great love for travel and wandered to many locations in the US and especially to Europe where she went a dozen times to visit her grandchildren. In recent years, she and her husband Clay spent many winters escaping the cold of Minnesota by travelling to Scottsdale, AZ, falling ever more in love with each other and with the desert beauty and climate.

Gerry loved her life and everything in it. She always saw the best in people. She looked forward to every day and what it could bring. She is currently having a wonderful time in the sunshine of Jesus. With that big, welcoming smile of hers, she is watching over all of us.