Military Family Member | Community Stakeholder

#WomenWhoServeAndSupport | #FamiliesWhoServeAndSupport | #CommunityWhoServeAndSupport

Military service has shaped Geri Stuart’s life across generations. Her father served in the Army and was stationed in Japan when she was born. She later married a Navy servicemember, and in time both her sons and her daughter in law also served in the Navy, with some continuing their service in the Reserves. Through these relationships, military service has been part of her life for decades.

Geri often reflects on how deeply military life influences families. In the first half of her life, she lived at 33 different addresses, while in the second half she has lived in just four. That contrast reflects the movement, uncertainty, and resilience that often accompany military connected life.

For Geri, service means being there to support military members and their families. She understands how deeply service affects the entire family system. One meaningful way she has offered support is by sending care packages during deployments, simple reminders of home that carry encouragement across distance.

She also wants others in similar positions to know they are not alone. Organizations such as Blue Star Mothers and other community networks support military families and remind them that strength in military life is shared across families and communities.

Geri’s story also connects to Pacific University. Her father, Frederick VanNus, served as an Optometry Professor at Pacific, linking her family’s legacy of service to both military and educational communities.

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 “Blue Star Mothers recognizes the pride, strength, sacrifice, and resilience that military families live every day and continues their unshakable commitment to those who have served or are serving.”