VERBANK — Jane Cole Geisler was born June 20, 1923, and grew up in Hyattsville, Maryland.
After graduating from Oberlin College with a degree in Botany in 1944, she met H. John Geisler on an American Youth Hostel bicycle trip. They married in 1945 and moved to Urbana, Illinois, where daughters Carol and Emma were born while John completed a degree in electrical engineering on the G.I. Bill.
They then moved to Duchess County, New York, where John worked at IBM until retirement. Jane had a son, Warren, in 1950, and while the three children were growing up she enjoyed being a Girl Scout leader and Jane and the whole family enjoyed ice-skating, skiing, swimming, and gardening at the Hillside Lake home.
Then they all moved to Verbank where John’s mother lived with them in a two family house on Milewood Road. Jane led a senior Girl Scout group for several years. After her children left for college, she spent more time on environmental education projects, organized day camps, and led many other hikes and activities involving nature study. She was an Appalachian trail maintainer and was active in the Union Vale Historical society, conservation committee, ADK and the Waterman Bird club for many decades.
She was also an avid reader and loved to play scrabble. She created trails and activities at Tymor Park, attended many town meetings and Cary Arboretum events. She also spent time with relatives at South Wellfleet, Massachusetts, each year, swimming, shell fishing and walking. She was active and walking, almost daily, up until a month before she died.
She is survived by her three children, Carol Schlentner, Warren Geisler, and Emma Stamas, and grandchildren, Tonya Schlentner, Paula Hicks, Laura Stamas, Jed Stamas and Jeremy Stamas; also six great grandchildren, Wesley Hicks, Katie Hicks, Luca Mnookin, April Mnookin, Bodie Katsoras and Mira Stamas.
Instead of flowers, please send a donation to your favorite environmental cause.
Arrangements are under the direction of the McHoul Funeral Home, Inc. Please visit her Book of Memories atwww.mchoulfuneralhome.com.
