Geraldine Halbur

Geraldine Mary (Pierret) Halbur left this world on March 12 to join the next, and now she can finally stop mothering and worrying and get some decent rest. And she’ll be able to definitively tell us whether “You’ll be lucky if you have that much room in heaven.” We already miss her wise advice, her unconditional love, and her frank opinions.

She was the eldest daughter of Paul Carl and Mildred (Dubbelde) Pierret (August 18, 1935, to be precise, but woe unto you if you publicly celebrated her birthday). Geraldine (aka Toots) helped mother her 13 siblings, raised 8 children to be successful adults (“I don’t care if you dig ditches, as long as you’re happy.”), and adored her 20 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.

She married the love of her life, Ralph Theodore Halbur (“I got a good one.”), on February 13, 1956, at St. Joseph Catholic Church at Jasper, MN, and together they built a farm and a family grounded in faith and love. They met on Easter Sunday night in 1955 at the Hollyhock Ballroom in Hatfield, MN, where she was wearing a blue skirt and they danced to what would become their favorite: “The Blue Skirt Waltz.” As life got busier their dancing opportunities were limited to wedding dances, but they continued to listen to the polka radio show on Sunday afternoons and watch Lawrence Welk and old time dancing shows.

Their marriage was a true partnership. Ralph managed the farm part of their life, but always with input from Geraldine. She managed the household part of their life, including the massive garden and feeding the family. (But she stopped peeling his breakfast orange early in their marriage when he told her she left too much of the white stuff on.) She was a capable cook and always had more than enough for everyone who came to her table, but she was happy to retire from cooking when she moved to town. No one loved perfectly ripe tomatoes, strawberries, watermelon, or sweet corn more. On the other hand, no one despised peas more.

Geraldine was an amazing seamstress, and it’s impossible to imagine how many miles of thread she used in her lifetime. The one class she admits to enjoying in school (Pipestone High School class of 1953) was home ec, where she was as much of an expert as her teacher. She sewed her own wedding and bridesmaids dresses, and made clothing for her younger siblings, her children, and her grandchildren, including baptism gowns, Halloween costumes, prom dresses, wedding gowns, and entire doll wardrobes. She was fearless with fabric and could engineer any practical need made out of cloth, including bike seat covers, portable high chairs, and balloon balls. She’ll continue to offer advice (“Don’t cut that thread longer than your forearm - you’re going to get a knot!”) to her children in their heads forever.

Her Catholic faith was a constant source of comfort and motivation, and occasional humor. She might continue to visit her family as a dust bunny. (“Remember thou art dust, and to dust thou shall return. You’ve got people under your bed, and I don’t know if they’re coming or going, but it’s time to vacuum.”) Her nativity set was on display year-round. She was a dedicated congregant at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Pipestone.

She accepted all people (“God made them that way, so who am I to judge?”) and genuinely expected people to be their best selves. Family was the most important thing to her, and together with her brother Jim and daughter Carol, she gathered and recorded family history information. She did not love all animals equally, however. She had a special aversion to sheep that tried to enter her car and dogs that tried to enter her house.

Geraldine performed thousands of works of charity - often with her sewing machine - but never wanted the spotlight. (“Fools’ names and fools’ faces often appear in public places.”) She sewed altar cloths for St. Leo’s Catholic church, taught Sunday school, tied thousands of rosaries (“I hope someone remembers to say a prayer for me”), and made literally hundreds of quilts for veterans and children.

Geraldine was a fan of her kids’ activities (except maybe Tonette concerts . . . ) and the Minnesota Twins. She didn’t care much about football, but supported her family’s dedication to the Vikings by allowing them to eat pizza or pot pies in front of the TV on Sunday.

She was an amazing letter writer, both personal letters and letters to politicians expressing her feelings. She always chose a bingo card with the number thirteen. She gave her kids haircuts and home perms. She was alternately sentimental and unsentimental, keeping drawers full of mementos, and then throwing them away when she no longer had space. She loved to share articles she clipped from the newspaper. She generally mistrusted doctors (“they’re just practicing medicine”). She loved sunflowers. She really, really, really hated peas.

Even though she’s no longer with us, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have no doubt that she’s looking down on us lovingly from above, and hoping we keep our hair out of our eyes, are wearing appropriate footwear in the cold, and continue to love each other as much as she loved us. (“I loved you first.”)

She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Mildred Pierret, her siblings James, Robert, MaryAnn Halbur, Paul Junior. Her sister-in-law Louise Pierret and her brother-in-law Marvin Halbur. Her granddaughter Cara Halbur, and great-grandson Lukas Vogt. She is survived by her Husband, Ralph Halbur; children, Diane McCarron, Eugene (Linda) Halbur, Thomas (Anna) Halbur, Carol, John (Linda) Halbur, Gary (Jean) Halbur, Linda (Robb) Hoiseth, and Alan (Karrie) Halbur; her grandchildren: Margaret McCarron, Joseph McCarron, Jessica (Ben) Erickson, Valerie (Jacob) Vogt, Danielle (David) Dimond, Monica (Nicholas) Marolt, Brittany (Lucas) Oyler, Alexandra (Kendell) Velgersdyk, Taylor (Joseph) Leonard, Jason Halbur, Brian (Anna) Halbur, Rachel Halbur, William (Brooke) Hoiseth, Sophia (Nicholas) Hoiseth, Shaunte Halbur, Christopher (Sunday) Halbur, Branndie (Mikel) Swart, Alvin Halbur, and Tatiana Halbur; and her great-grandchildren: Theodosia Erickson; Simon, Anton, and Isaiah Vogt; Brantley, Sawyer and, Malachi Dimond; Jeremiah, Gabriella, and Johnathan Marolt; Bailey, Maribel, and Terran Oyler; Benson, Weston, Tenley and Tatum Velgersdyk; Adryuana Benting and Paislee Leonard; Maisie and Mara Halbur; Arthur Hoiseth; Journey and Kylie Halbur and Xavier and Zyaire Halbur-Leyendecker; and Marcellus, Bjorn, and Malachai Halbur. Her siblings, Jerome Pierret, Richard (Dorothy) Pierret, John (Nancy) Pierret, Carl (Joyce) Pierret, Shirley (Harold/Butch) Miller, Susan (Greg) Tobias, Janette (Charles) Casat, Patricia (Page) Schaefer, Joseph (Monica) Pierret. Her sister-in-laws Joan Pierret, Jeanette Pierret and Maggie Pierret.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to St. Leo Catholic Church or the Pipestone County Hospice House.