Geraldine M. Mauk, 83, Russellville, Alabama, passed away Sunday, November 25, 2012, at Russellville Hospital. Mrs. Mauk, was a native of Birmingham, having lived in Russellville for the past five years. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Russellville. Although she was blinded at a young eight years old age, she never lost sight of great accomplishments. She operated and taught switchboard with Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind for many years. Later in life she pursued and received her Master’s degree from the University of Alabama in her early fifties. She went on to teach special education with Tuscaloosa County School System. She was a member of many clubs and organizations over the years which included some of the following: Alabama School for the Blind Alumni, Town Council member in Ingliss, Florida, Pilot’s Club, and recipient of the Lillian Ricks Award, a lifetime achievement. She taught Sunday School, played the piano, had a love for life, and always ready to share a joke or two. Her blindness was never a handicap, just a little inconvenience. Funeral service will be Tuesday, November 27, 2012, 1 p.m., at Claire Purcell United Methodist Church in Talladega, with Richard Parker and Bert Fowler officiating. Visitation will be prior to the service from 12 noon until 1 p.m. Burial will follow in Midway Cemetery. Survivors include children, James Ronald Johnson and wife, Cheryl, Talladega; Betty Johnson Allison and husband, Stanley, Russellville; Richard Lamar Johnson and wife, Sheila, Tuscaloosa; sister, Joyce Burnett, The Villages, Florida; seven grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to First Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 326, Russellville, Alabama.
