Geraldine “Geri” M. Leninger (nee Gembicki), 86, a longtime resident of Forest Park, died peacefully on Oct. 14, 2022, in LaGrange. Born on March 14,1936, in Chicago, she grew up in Chicago and was a graduate of Austin High School. She worked for Prudential, where she met her husband, Richard. A caring and devoted mom, she raised her family in Forest Park, where she enjoyed going for walks, gardening, doing puzzles, playing cards, and singing and dancing with friends. She was a proud member of the Polish American Cultural Club and a longtime member of St. Bernardine Catholic Church in Forest Park.
Geri was the wife of the late Richard Leninger for 44 years, whom she married on June 14, 1958. She was the mother of Terence (Dawn) Leninger, Kathleen (the late Bob) Brown, Diane (Colin) Chin, Patti (Chuck) Chow, and Richard Leninger; the grandmother of Kristin (Mark) Robins, Tyler (Jess) Leninger, Taylor (Anderson) Whipp, Cullen Chin, and Jacob, Luke and Hana Chow; the great-grandmother of Roy Trevino, Avery and Vera Whipp, and Finn Robins; the daughter of the late Edward and Bernice Gembicki; the sister of the late Priscilla (the late Dan) Arndt and the late Dorothy Gembicki; and the aunt, cousin and friend of many.
Visitation will be held on Friday, Oct. 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Woodlawn Funeral Home, 7750 W. Cermak Road (corner of Cermak and Desplaines Ave.), Forest Park.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, at St. Bernardine Catholic Church, 7246 Harrison St., Forest Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Geraldine’s memory may be made to:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center (www.rush.edu/giving).
