“Gerry’s Flowers” Brighten the Granby Town Green

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By Doreen McWhirter
Now in its fourth year, the garden at the intersection of Routes 10/202 and 20 in Granby provides a splash of color and classic beauty to the town green. This year a memorial plaque has been placed in the garden to commemorate the garden’s founder, Gerry Palmer. The plaque was designed by her sons, Justin and Jordan, and coordinated locally by her friend, Beth Matlack, using donations made by many family members and friends.
 

Gerry established the current garden on the green in 2013 with the help of the town maintenance crew. She recruited 10-20 volunteers each season to plant, weed and water the garden. This group has continued Gerry’s Flowers in the two years since her passing. This season’s volunteers include: Kim Boit, Dick Caley, Annabel Dinse, Kristen Foley, Jill Ford, Cori Griswold, Judi Hauser, Beth Matlack, Karen McNey, Doreen McWhirter, Trish Percival, Marian and Duncan Rowles, Laurie Schock, Lindsay Sessions, Ginny Wutka and Marilyn Wyman.
Gerry was an active volunteer in Granby from the 1960s until her unexpected passing in 2014. She helped to start Granby’s first recycling program in the 1970s and ran fundraisers to help build the first youth center in town. She was part of a group that strived to preserve the quality of Salmon Brook. As an avid cyclist, she served on the Rails-to-Trails committee to bring about the development of the bike trails that we enjoy today. For over 15 years she added beauty to the town by building, planting and maintaining flower boxes on the traffic islands in the center. Her volunteers, the Flower Group kept them looking bright all summer long. An annual donation by the Granby Civic Club funds the plant purchases.