Georgiana Pearson

Middletown, RI - Commander Georgiana Pearson, of Stratham, NH, died April 5, 2014, in Middletown, RI, while a resident of the Forest Farm nursing home. Born on October 29, 1912, Georgiana was the youngest of 4 children. From an early age, Georgiana was involved in service. An avid member of 4-H as a young person, she participated in clothing work, receiving high honors as county champion for her room improvement work. She also started a club for younger girls, which led her to an early trip to Washington DC. Georgiana graduated from Robinson seminary in Exeter, as Valedictorian of her class, and received her BS from the University of New Hampshire in 1935. Her early professional life was spent as a dietician at Mass General Hospital and Buffalo General Hospital. In 1941 she moved to Balboa, PA, where she worked for the Panama Canal Zone. In 1945 she joined the Army Reserve as a First Lieutenant, and in July of that year she traveled on the USS General Mark L. Hersey to the Philippines. She left the army in 1946 and joined the Wisconsin State Health Department, where she acted as nutritionist for 5 years. During this time, she obtained a Master's of Science from Western Reserve University. She returned to active duty as a Captain in the Army Reserve, working at Walter Reed Medical Facility in Washington DC through 1956 and later in Waltham, MA. Her final professional role was as a member of the groundbreaking Framingham Heart Disease Epidemiology Study, where she worked until 1970.Georgiana retired from professional life in order to care for her ailing parents and spent her later years in service and community in Stratham, NH. She was a member of Stratham Congregational Church and spent most of her time volunteering at local nursing homes, visiting and caring for patients there. Her last years were spent at Forest Farm Nursing Home, where she received loving care and the dedicated attention of the staff. Her life was marked with care for others and service to community and country. She is survived by many nieces and nephews scattered across the country, who benefited from her generosity, care, and commitment to family over the years. A Memorial Service will be held in Stratham, NH, on Saturday, September 6, 2014, at 11AM.