Geraldine "Gerri" Stewart

Geraldine “Gerri” Stewart, 71, of Fort Oglethorpe, passed away on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Born February 5, 1955 in Chattanooga to the late Thomas Frederick and Lillian Viola Dillard Bass, Gerri was built for hard times and met them head-on every single time. She believed people deserved honesty more than comfort, and she lived by it.

Gerri was a storyteller with a laugh that could fill a room. Her humor may not have always been polished, but it was always real – and real was something Gerri never had a shortage of. Stubborn to the bone, but beneath those rough edges lived a generous heart. More than once, she opened her home to someone with nowhere else to go – a hot meal, a hot shower, a moment of dignity – because she believed people in need deserved to be treated like people.

She had a gift for seeing value where others saw nothing. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” she’d say. She called her clever little fixes and workarounds “Gerri-riggin’,” and they almost always worked. One Christmas, with nothing but flea market finds and her own two hands, she turned secondhand dolls into a little girl’s best morning. She was crafty and resourceful, and she always found a way.

A dedicated homemaker and woman of Baptist faith, Gerri loved the outdoors – gardening, camping, and traveling with her family, where the world was quieter and life felt a little more like it was supposed to. She loved cooking, reading, and crafting, and she loved her family deeply.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 38 years, Gary Alan Stewart; her parents; and 6 siblings.

She is survived by her daughters, Cristina Parrish and Carla Stewart; her grandchildren, Kaitlyn Hill, Ethan Fryar, Nicholas Stewart, Elisabet Stewart, and Eva Parrish; and one brother.

She was complicated and she was kind, rough around every edge and tender at the center. She was both mother and Nana. And there will not be another one like her.

The family will receive friends from 3:00 PM until 5:00 PM on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at Companion Funeral Home, 6018 John Douglass Drive, Chattanooga. A Celebration of Gerri’s Life will begin at 5:00 PM in the Chapel, with Dr. Wayne Chasteen officiating.