Geraldine M. (Cole) Vancil

Beloved Mother, Grandmother

Geraldine M. “Gerry” Vancil, 96, of Hillsboro, formerly of Nokomis, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 24, 2024.

Services will be held Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at 10 AM at Stiehl Dawson Funeral Home in Nokomis with Father Dan Willenborg presiding. Burial will follow at Nokomis Cemetery, Nokomis. Visitation will be held Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at the funeral home from 5-7pm.

Geraldine M. Vancil was born May 21, 1928 in Alton, IL to Ruth (Bruemser) and Wayne L. Cole. She married Charles E. Sanders and together their greatest joy was bringing into the world one daughter, Charlene. They later divorced. She met a special companion, Herb Heck, in the 1970s. Their love continued until his death in March 2013. This relationship gave Gerry a very special bonus daughter, Kathy Gaffney. Gerry was a people person and hard worker, she enjoyed years of waitressing in the Nokomis area. She never knew a stranger and loved to visit with friends. She was of the Baptist faith. Gerry’s pride and joy in life came from her family, she loved nothing more than being a grandma to Allison and Mike, and a great grandma to Dahlia, Demi, and Dominic.

In addition to her parents, she was proceeded in death by siblings, Frank Leon and Darrell Wayne Cole in infancy, and Henry Cole; sister-in-law Kay Cole; brothers-in-law Jim Glasford and Don Hinkle.

She is survived by her daughter, Charlene (James) Modla of Hillsboro; bonus daughter, Kathy (Patrick) Gaffney of Nokomis; granddaughters, Allison (Mike) Maass of Hillsboro, Chandra Bolte of Nokomis, Samantha (Michael) Hargis of Holiday Shores, and Meghan Gaffney of St.Louis, MO; great-grandchildren Dahlia Maass, Demi Maass, Dominic Maass, Parker Beaty, Van Beaty, and Halle Hargis; Sisters, Norma (Gary) Mosier of Kirksville, MO, Charlotte Stanton of Madisonville , TN, Richard Cole of Ramsey, Judy Glasford of Murphysboro, and Sandi Hinkle of Salisbury, MO, and sister-in-law Kay Cole of Ramsey; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

Memorials are suggested to Montgomery County PAWS Care or Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.

Condolences can be left at stiehldawsonfh.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Geraldine M. (Cole) Vancil, please visit our floral store.