Geraldine Savidge Sterne

Geraldine Savidge Sterne, 82, of Newport, died Monday April 8 at PhilipHulitar Hospice Center in Providence, RI. Beloved daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, she died after a long illness.Born in Teaneck, NJ, on January 2, 1931, she was the daughter of the late MichaelSavidge and Eva (Opet) Savidge. Beautiful and stylish, with a flair for writing and a clever wit, she moved to Manhattan as a young woman and briefly worked in radio and television before embarking on a career as a public relations executive in the fashion industry. She spent most of her career at Lord Taylor, working during a period of expansion in which she loved traveling around the country to open new stores, and later moved to Ann Taylor. She may have honed her sense of fashion during her career, but her natural elegance was all her own.In New York Geri met and married Michael Lyon Sterne, a Columbia University studentwho went on to become a writer and editor at The New York Times. He died in 1995 after 41wonderful years of marriage. Among their happiest years were those spent with their two youngdaughters in London, where he was a correspondent for the Times. Back in Manhattan, bothMichael and Geri were active volunteers at St. James (Episcopal) Church and the Chapin School and enthusiastic partakers of the city's cultural offerings. Most importantly, they were lovingand dedicated parents.Geri moved to Newport in 2002 to be closer to her elder daughter. There she settled intoa peaceful retirement of reading avidly, drinking in the art and architecture of her charming newhome, and volunteering at the Newport Art Museum, the Preservation Society of NewportCounty, and St. Columba's Chapel (of which she was a member). Above all, she devoted herselfto helping raise her beloved grandchildren.Geri was loved and respected by all who knew her for her generosity of spirit, herdevotion to family, her quick sense of humor, and her simple elegance.Geri is survived by her two daughters, Evelyn Sterne of Newport, RI, a professor at theUniversity of Rhode Island, and Christie Sterne, an architect in Cape Town, South Africa. Shealso leaves behind four deeply loved grandchildren, Michael and Sophie Garman and Ava andGabriel Wilburn.Her funeral will be held Saturday, April 13, at 11:00 a.m. in the St. Columba BerkeleyMemorial Chapel, 55 Vaucluse Avenue, Middletown. Burial will follow in the St. Columba Berkeley Churchyard. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the St. Columba Outreach Fund 55 Vaucluse Ave, Middletown, RI 02842 or Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island 1085 North Main Street Providence, RI 02904. Cemetery Details St. Columba Berkley Cemetery Vaulcluse Avenue Middletown, RI, Service APR 13. 11:00 AM St. Columbas Berkeley Memorial Chapel Vaucluse Avenue Middletown, RI, US