Obituary of Esther Pietrina Germeraad

Esther Pietrina “Pete” Germeraad Esther was born September 24, 1921 in Boston, Massachusetts to Peter and Caroline Aspesi. In 1943, she graduated from Simmons College with a Bachelor of Science degree and as a Board Certified Nurse. It was the height of WWII so she joined the Nurse Corp of the U.S. Navy. After weeks of officer training she was assigned to the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. When the Naval Flight Evacuation Unit started, she was chosen to join this elite group stationed on Guam. Their assignment was to evacuate the injured of the Iwojima and Okinawa invasions. She stayed on to bring POWs home from various encampments in the Pacific Theatre. In 1946 she married Donald Pound Germeraad who predeceased her on May 11, 1992. She is survived by a son, Paul Germeraad (Susan) of Saratoga, California and a daughter, Ann Cline (Richard) of Underwood, Washington, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Esther died peacefully at her home in White Salmon, Washington on June 7, 2021 and will be cremated. Her military marker is alongside that of her husband’s in the Fort Rosecrans Military Cemetery, Point Loma, California. If you wish to send a memorial it can be sent to the organization or church of your choice.