Geraldine P. (Goebel) Bulger
The Biggest Milwaukee Brewer Fan you ever met

Geraldine (Goebel) Bulger was born in Sioux City, Iowa to Anne (McDermott) Goebel and Walter Carl Goebel. Gerry left us very peacefully with family surrounding her in her own Clement Manor apartment in Greenfield, WI, on August 8, 2022.

Gerry is survived by her three adult children Virginia Cowan (Bozeman MT), Dolores Bulger (Lynnwood, WA), and Thomas Bulger (Milwaukee, WI) along with grandchildren Bryan Potts (Diana Arntz Potts), of Sudbury MA, Carley Potts of Seattle WA, Devin Cowan (Gretchen Allen Cowan of Brattleboro, VT), great-granddaughters Jemma and Mabel Potts (Sudbury, MA), great-grandson Wesley Cowan of Brattleboro, VT, and siblings Richard Goebel (Sheboygan WI) and Marjorie Gilmartin (Lisle, IL), and many nephews, nieces, and cousins.

Preceding her in death; husband William Patrick Bulger, parents Walter and Anne Goebel, brother Robert Goebel of Lombard IL, and step-granddaughter Danyelle Potts of Stanwood, WA.

Gerry, as a child, moved with her family from the Iowa farm to Chicago and later graduated from Our Little Flower Grade School and Mercy High School. Sister Dominic was her favorite teacher.

Following her own advice to always " keep in touch with friends, " she stayed connected to her girlfriends, the Camerlong Club, and eventually was introduced to her future husband, Bill Bulger, through Mercy High School classmate Peg Duffy years later, after the war. They were married on March 31, 1951 at Our Little Flower Church.

Gerry embraced change and advised others to also always be open to change . In 1952, as they were starting their family, Gerry and Bill moved from Chicago to St. Charles, IL. Gerry and Bill's legacy in Milwaukee WI began in 1959.

Gerry was humble, creative, loyal, fun, and a terrific correspondent. She was not really one for grabbing the spotlight, but her notoriety for inductation into the Guinness Book of World Records was published in various papers and media this year, 2022. Due to their combined health and longevity, she and her siblings were celebrated internationally. Thus, Gerry left us as one of Wisconsin's most famous people , according to the Green Bay News.

Faith, family, and diverse friends were the light of her life. After holding several administrative office roles and working at the telephone company before and during the war, Gerry stayed home to raise the children and supported "Bulger & Associates," a home-based marketing consultation business. As her children went off to college, Gerry worked at the Milwaukee Journal, the Milwaukee Bushing Company, and the Milwaukee Public Schools District Administration.

Gerry's true passion was service and volunteering . Young junior high school boys remembered Gerry as the CCD teacher who "taught them everything they knew about religion." Through NAMI (National Alliance Mentally Ill), she served as an advocate to other parents. She and Bill started the Seniors group at Pius X and, as a volunteer, Gerry also "ran the Roller Rink" in Wauwatosa for a decade or more. Geraldine valued hospitality and building community. As a "volunteer friend" of the School Sisters of St. Francis, Gerry organized booths for festivals, supported auctions, and for 15 years welcomed new residents to her home and the Sister's Clement Manor Senior Community in Greenfield, WI.

Gerry advised all future generations to remain loyal to the causes and people in their lives. Gerry's loving and spirited zest for life was palpable every day of every week.  As her Christmas Card List topped 300, she loyally kept up with all family friends, family members, her nieces and nephews, weddings and births, grand-children and great-grandchildren, clergy, Milwaukee County politicians, Bill's Army and Harvard colleagues and all Elderhostel travel mates including each brother and sister-in-law, second and third cousins too.   The act of "going down for the mail" every evening at Clement Manor held special meaning late in Gerry's life as she had so prioritized corresponding with so many to maintain her Bulger-Goebel Irish connections.

Exemplary of this irrepressible spirit, Gerry adored the game of baseball . All family members were encouraged to play the game, watch games, follow the playoffs, and pass this MLB interest along to their own children. Gerry developed a deep love of baseball early on. Her Iowan Uncle Jo McDermott and other minor league scouts from the Goebel line got her hooked, treating Gerry to games and even a few World Series competitions. Her interest in "America's Pastime" was expressed by attending and watching games on TV throughout her 101 years. Gerry kept track of standings, scores, and statistics while cheering on the Milwaukee Brewers for 63 years. When visiting the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame , she recalled almost every installed player, coach, and broadcaster from Major League Baseball.

She participated fully in preparation for her Clement Manor funeral Mass and prioritized the themes mentioned above. Gerry's love, advice and sunny outlook will certainly be missed by her family and friends.

Memorial Mass on Friday, August 26, 2022 at 10:30am at Clement Manor Chapel 3939 S. 92nd Street, Greenfield, WI 53228. The family will be available to greet guests starting at 9:00am. YouTube live-stream and recording of the service will also be available (link on Legacy.com).

Private Interment later St. Mary's Cemetery Evergreen Park, IL.

In lieu of flowers, memorials appreciated to:

St. Pius X Parish, 2520 N. 76th Street, Wauwatosa, WI 53213

https://www.stpiusparish.org/

School Sisters of St. Francis, 1515 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee WI 53215

https://www.sssf.org/

Blessing House (a recovery residence) via PayPal, BlessingHouseMKE@gmail.com

https://www.paypal.com/