Geraldine B. "Jerri" Novotny, Longtime Volunteer
Geraldine "Jerri" Novotny, Longtime Volunteer, passed away on January 31, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Geraldine B. "Jerri" Novotny could always be found in her small office space in the Alumni Office, meticulously poring over the financial records of the Alumni Association, tracking lifetime membership payments and sending out notes and letters to alumni all around the world. Her commitment to the mission of the Alumni Association was deep and abiding.
Jerri, along with her late husband Ed Novotny, '43, were the "corporate memory" and unstoppable energy behind the growth of the Association from the very beginning in June of 1951. However, Jerri's connection to Boys Town started long before the founding of the Association. During World War II, Boys Town's head of farming was drafted and went off to war. Father Flanagan needed a new farmer to manage the growing operation so he reached out to Jerri's father, Alfred Hansen, to manage the farm during the war. Jerri and her family moved into the home that was at the corner of 144th and Dodge, just inside Boys Town's property line and that is where she spent the war years as a young teenager. She had the opportunity to visit the home many years later and regaled us with stories of their time living in the home.
After meeting and marrying Ed, Jerri came to work at Boys Town and never left. She worked in administrative positions in the Boys Town headquarters through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, all the while staying fully engaged with the Alumni Association. It was due to her strong organizational skills that the records of the Alumni Association were retained and organized. Former BTNAA Historian, Ron Fisher, D'57, can attest to that fact. Whenever he needed a document or needed to get the background on a particular alumni event, he could count on Jerri to provide the location of the documents or to relate what had happened.
Jerri came to work in the Alumni Office until her health precluded her from doing so. When she could no longer drive, her sons Randy and Charlie brought her to the office where she would spend the day hard at work poring over alumni records, balancing the books, paying the bills and sharing her joy and wisdom with everyone in the office. The daily lunches in the Alumni Office with all the volunteers was a special time for everyone. Jerri would share stories of days long gone and provide wisdom that only age and the kind spirit she possessed could share.
Phil Dauterive, D'70, President of the BTNAA, recalls that Jerri and her husband Ed were tremendously supportive of his efforts to finish school and become a school teacher. "I applied for a scholarship from the BTNAA Scholarship Fund, of which Ed was a board member, and not having the most sterling academic credentials was encouraged by both Jerri and Ed to pursue my dream. Jerri would periodically write to me or call me to see how I was doing and would continue to encourage me to pursue my dream. I can truly say that without the support and encouragement of Jerri and Ed Novotny I may never have achieved my goals and enjoyed a full career as a school teacher. Jerri will be missed by so many of us but I will especially miss the connection that we both had. It is though a part of my family is gone and I will miss her."
Gail Page, Administrative Assistant for the Alumni Office, can attest to her tireless efforts to ensure that the financial records of the association were accurate while bringing her special brand of care to the job of Assistant Treasurer. I can attest to the thoroughness of Jerri's work and to her friendship. In the years I spent as Alumni Director I could always count on Jerri to provide accurate information and to inform me, gently, when I was headed in the wrong direction! Her impact on the Alumni Association will be felt for generations to come and her joy and spirit will be missed by all who knew her. I'm quite certain that she and Ed are watching over us as the BTNAA moves into its 70th year of serving our brother and sister alumni with the full knowledge that they both gave their all to bring the Association to this point. It is now up to us, to carry the torch forward that was so graciously given us by Jerri and those that came before.
Jerri's family wishes any donations or remembrances for Jerri be made to the BTNAA Scholarship Fund, PO Box 762, Boys Town, NE 68010.
Jerri, along with her late husband Ed Novotny, '43, were the "corporate memory" and unstoppable energy behind the growth of the Association from the very beginning in June of 1951. However, Jerri's connection to Boys Town started long before the founding of the Association. During World War II, Boys Town's head of farming was drafted and went off to war. Father Flanagan needed a new farmer to manage the growing operation so he reached out to Jerri's father, Alfred Hansen, to manage the farm during the war. Jerri and her family moved into the home that was at the corner of 144th and Dodge, just inside Boys Town's property line and that is where she spent the war years as a young teenager. She had the opportunity to visit the home many years later and regaled us with stories of their time living in the home.
After meeting and marrying Ed, Jerri came to work at Boys Town and never left. She worked in administrative positions in the Boys Town headquarters through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, all the while staying fully engaged with the Alumni Association. It was due to her strong organizational skills that the records of the Alumni Association were retained and organized. Former BTNAA Historian, Ron Fisher, D'57, can attest to that fact. Whenever he needed a document or needed to get the background on a particular alumni event, he could count on Jerri to provide the location of the documents or to relate what had happened.
Jerri came to work in the Alumni Office until her health precluded her from doing so. When she could no longer drive, her sons Randy and Charlie brought her to the office where she would spend the day hard at work poring over alumni records, balancing the books, paying the bills and sharing her joy and wisdom with everyone in the office. The daily lunches in the Alumni Office with all the volunteers was a special time for everyone. Jerri would share stories of days long gone and provide wisdom that only age and the kind spirit she possessed could share.
Phil Dauterive, D'70, President of the BTNAA, recalls that Jerri and her husband Ed were tremendously supportive of his efforts to finish school and become a school teacher. "I applied for a scholarship from the BTNAA Scholarship Fund, of which Ed was a board member, and not having the most sterling academic credentials was encouraged by both Jerri and Ed to pursue my dream. Jerri would periodically write to me or call me to see how I was doing and would continue to encourage me to pursue my dream. I can truly say that without the support and encouragement of Jerri and Ed Novotny I may never have achieved my goals and enjoyed a full career as a school teacher. Jerri will be missed by so many of us but I will especially miss the connection that we both had. It is though a part of my family is gone and I will miss her."
Gail Page, Administrative Assistant for the Alumni Office, can attest to her tireless efforts to ensure that the financial records of the association were accurate while bringing her special brand of care to the job of Assistant Treasurer. I can attest to the thoroughness of Jerri's work and to her friendship. In the years I spent as Alumni Director I could always count on Jerri to provide accurate information and to inform me, gently, when I was headed in the wrong direction! Her impact on the Alumni Association will be felt for generations to come and her joy and spirit will be missed by all who knew her. I'm quite certain that she and Ed are watching over us as the BTNAA moves into its 70th year of serving our brother and sister alumni with the full knowledge that they both gave their all to bring the Association to this point. It is now up to us, to carry the torch forward that was so graciously given us by Jerri and those that came before.
Jerri's family wishes any donations or remembrances for Jerri be made to the BTNAA Scholarship Fund, PO Box 762, Boys Town, NE 68010.
John Mollison, '64 | Phil Dauterive, D'70
Funeral Information
Funeral Information
Novotny, Geraldine B. "Jerri" January 19, 1926 - January 31, 2021
Preceded in death by husband, Edwin M.; mother, Rena (Jensen) Hansen; father, Alfred Hansen; brother, Roger Hansen.
Survived by sons, Charles Novotny (Darla); Randall L. Novotny (Judi); seven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; sisters, Janet Siffring, Carole Andersen; many nieces, nephews, and extended Boys Town family.
Private Family Mass of Christian Burial (following CDC guidelines): Thursday, 10am, St. Gerald Lakeview Chapel, 7859 Lakeview St., Ralston, NE. Interment: Resurrection Cemetery. Memorials to Boys Town Alumni Scholarship Fund. To view a live broadcast of the Mass, go to www.heafeyheafey.com and click the "View Live Service" button on the home page.
HEAFEY-HOFFMANN DWORAK-CUTLER West Center Chapel, 7805 W. Center Rd., (402) 391-3900 | www.heafeyheafey.com
Preceded in death by husband, Edwin M.; mother, Rena (Jensen) Hansen; father, Alfred Hansen; brother, Roger Hansen.
Survived by sons, Charles Novotny (Darla); Randall L. Novotny (Judi); seven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; sisters, Janet Siffring, Carole Andersen; many nieces, nephews, and extended Boys Town family.
Private Family Mass of Christian Burial (following CDC guidelines): Thursday, 10am, St. Gerald Lakeview Chapel, 7859 Lakeview St., Ralston, NE. Interment: Resurrection Cemetery. Memorials to Boys Town Alumni Scholarship Fund. To view a live broadcast of the Mass, go to www.heafeyheafey.com and click the "View Live Service" button on the home page.
HEAFEY-HOFFMANN DWORAK-CUTLER West Center Chapel, 7805 W. Center Rd., (402) 391-3900 | www.heafeyheafey.com