L. Geraldine Goetz

Geraldine (Jerry) Goetz died on Feb. 21, 2015 in Odessa. She was born in Roxton, Texas on Dec. 31, 1924. Her parents were the Reverend T.T. Smith and Leola Bell Tidwel.

She grew up on the family farm picking and chopping cotton with her family (one brother, and three sisters.) She was 17 when her father stopped farming and became a Southern Baptist Minister. The next year Jerry was driving to town with two girl friends when they stopped to pick up three good looking Army soldiers who were hitch hiking to Paris, Texas. Her future husband, Jim, crawled into the front seat and the couple began a...