Geraldine Tripodi

On March 16, 2020, our mother, Geraldine “Gerri” Tripodi passed away peacefully at 85 years old. She was born on September 12, 1934 in Mount Vernon, NY to Madeline (Farina) and Eugene Peluso. Gerri married the love of her life, Carmine Tripodi, on June 19, 1955 at Sacred Heart Church in Mount Vernon. They raised four children, Lisa, Michael, Chris, and Tina - whom Gerri & Carmine utterly adored. Carmine passed away in 1984 - far too early. Gerri lived with a broken heart from that day forward. She used her children as a source of strength to get through and move forward.

She was an extraordinary housewife, mother, gourmet cook, and devout Yankee fan since she was a little girl. She was a doting grandma to her five grandchildren, and she adored her five beautiful great-grandchildren. She was a wonderful aunt to her dear nieces and nephews that loved her very much.

When she was young, Gerri enjoyed cooking, entertaining for family and friends often, traveling, listening to Frank Sinatra incessantly, going to theater, and heading out to French restaurants all around town.  Sometimes she & Carmine would head to Greenwich Village or Little Italy for an espresso (with anisette and a lemon peel, of course). Frank Sinatra was the only man who truly came close to her heart after Carmine passed away! She loved her time volunteering for the Mothers’ Auxiliary at The Ursuline School where her daughters went and was a proud den mother with the Cub Scouts when her sons were young. She was a voracious reader, a genius at crossword puzzles, and the Queen of Jeopardy. When she wasn’t packing lunches for her four kids or cooking amazing dinners, she could be found reading, doing lots of laundry, or solving problems for her friends and family. She was so loved by all.

In her latter years, she enjoyed spending time with family, doing the NY Times crossword puzzle every day, and watching Yankee games, NCIS, and Jeopardy on television. (She only ever used bad language when the Yankees were losing!) She could have probably solved any crime after watching hundreds of episodes of NCIS. She loved reminiscing about family memories and the good old days from 60 Wilson Drive, our family home in New Rochelle. Her faith strengthened as she grew older. She started attending mass regularly and praying the rosary nightly later in her life. While she was a genuinely caring and loving woman, she could often be heard saying, “I forgive, but I never forget.”

She is survived by her children: Lisa LaGravinese of Mount Vernon, NY, Michael Tripodi of Portland, OR, Chris Tripodi of Mount Vernon, NY, and Tina Beltrone (Robert) of Lake Oswego, OR; her grandchildren & families: Robert LaGravinese (Basia) and four children (Nicolo, Dante, Luca & Luci), Karina Rousou (Zach) and their son Andreas, Matthew LaGravinese, Lauren Beltrone, and Chris Beltrone.

In addition to her husband, she is predeceased by her four wonderful brothers - Joe, Pal, Ricky, and Gene Peluso,  and her beloved sister, Josephine Young.

She was the best mom anyone could ever ask for and will forever be in our hearts. Everything she did, she did for us. We miss her so much. We are happy for her to reunite with loving family and old friends that have passed, and especially Carmine, after all these years.

She will be interred privately on Friday, March 20, 2020; our family will have a mass and a memorial to celebrate her life at a future date once the pandemic ends.

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