BAR HARBOR – Geraldine “Gerry” E. Willis, 79, wife of the late Clayton Willis, went to be with the Lord on March 8, 2004, after a courageous fight with cancer. She was born Jan. 1, 1925, in Bangor, the daughter of John and Madeline (Erickson) Ericson. She graduated from Bangor High School, Class of 1943, and married her long time sweetheart, Clayton Willis in 1945. During the war years, she worked for the Bell Telephone Co., in Bangor, and later moved to Bar Harbor with her husband, where she helped out in the family business, Willis and Sons Rock Shop. Gerry was a very dedicated wife and mother, who always put her family and home first. She especially like spending time with her two grandchildren, Amy and John. She enjoyed music and dancing and many outings were enjoyed at the family camp on Beech Hill Pond. In later years, after her husband’s death, she turned her home into a seasonal guest home which she called, “Shady Maples.” This enabled her to meet and become friends with people from all over the world. Many of her guests would often be found sitting on her front porch or around the kitchen table, enjoying a fresh pot of coffee and swapping stories. Gerry is survived by her two daughters, Deanna Willis and Nancy Myers, both of Bar Harbor; two grandchildren, Amy Myers of Bar Harbor, and John Myers Jr. of Bartlette, Tenn.; one brother, John Ericson of Bar Harbor (Sonogee); and her sister, Joan H. Perkins of Derry, N.H.; 10 nieces and nephews; three sisters-in-law, Catherine Ericson of Holden, Renee’ Ericson of Seattle, Wash., and Jean Willis of Bar Harbor. She also leaves two especially close friends, that she considered to be her adopted daughters; Hazel Alley and Gail Damon, both of Bar Harbor; good friend and ex-son-in-law, John Myers Sr. and her two loyal companions, her dogs, Susie and Holly. Gerry was predeceased by her husband, Clayton; two brothers, Gunner and Robert; and a brother-in-law, Weston Willis. Services of remembrance will be held 7 p.m. Friday, March 12, 2004, at Jordan-Fernald, Bar Harbor Chapel, 48 Eden St., Bar Harbor with the Rev. Mary-Carol Griffin officiating. Spring interment will be at Ledgelawn Cemetery, Bar Harbor. Contributions in Gerry’s memory may be made to the Bar Harbor YWCA, 36 Mount Desert St., Bar Harbor or to the Bar Harbor YMCA, 21 Park St., Bar Harbor, ME 04609.
GERALDINE ‘GERRY’ E. WILLIS
