Geraldine Hansen-Balt

Former Newtown teacher Geraldine A. “Jeri” Hansen-Balt, 62, died on December 4 at her residence in Poultney, Vt.

Jeri was born on May 27, 1942, in Bridgeport, Conn., daughter of Jerome A. and Dorothy P. (O’Connor) Hansen. She was a graduate of Western Connecticut State University and earned a master’s degree in education.

Jeri was an elementary teacher in Newtown for 35 years, sharing her love of learning with the students at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, where she was a lead teacher. In 1996 she was appointed by then-Superintendent of Schools John Reed to be a member of the search committee to find a new principal for the school.

After retiring and moving to Vermont, she provided the seed money to defray expenses for Newtown’s first Coins for the Cure campaign to raise money in the fight against leukemia in memory of a former student.

She married Richard Balt on April 20, 1979, at the St James Church in Stratford. Jeri and Richard moved to Poultney in 1999, where she was employed by the Green Mountain College, as a supervisor in the teacher training division. She enjoyed volunteering in various projects in Poultney and was very active in the St Anne’s Church in Middletown Springs, Vt.

 Jeri loved her home and took great pride in decorating for the different seasons and holidays of the year. She also enjoyed her dogs, gardening, and cooking.

Jeri is survived by her beloved husband, Richard Balt of Poultney, Vt.; her mother, Dorothy, with whom she resided; one sister, Patricia Lynch Greene, and one brother, David Hansen, both of California; six nieces and a nephew; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Thursday, January 6, at St Anne’s Church in Middletown Springs, Vt. The Rev Adam J. Krempa officiated. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Roberts-Aubin Funeral Home in Poultney, Vt.

Donations in her memory may be sent to the Poultney Rescue Squad, PO Box 76, Poultney VT 05764 or to the Rutland Regional Hospital, 160 Allen Avenue, Rutland VT 05701.

The Newtown Bee        January 7, 2005