Loving Every Chapter – John and Sheryl Geraci embrace life hand-in-hand, with love in their hearts and respect in their marriage

Respect and communication are just two of the tips John and Sheryl Geraci say have made their marriage successful.
“One thing I definitely think works for us is mutual respect.  Respect is number one,” Sheryl said,  “considering the other person’s feelings.”
“Just respecting the wants, needs and desires of each other,” John added.  “She has her hobbies; I have my hobbies.  Be respectful of time and just respectful of one another.  I don’t think we’ve ever really gotten into a fight so to speak.  If we agree to disagree, so be it.”
The couple, who will have been married for 22 years this June, sat next to each other, with their three dogs, at their kitchen table after spending most of their morning preparing to move from their Sand Canyon home to their new home in Valencia.
“This move has tested us, let me tell you,” John said with a laugh.  “We’ve only been alone together for about a year, between my daughter and people we’ve helped out along the way.  So, we’re kind of moving into the next chapter of our lives.”
Both John and Sheryl had been married previously.  John had a 4-year-old daughter from his first marriage, and Sheryl welcomed her as if she were her own.
“Jessi, I consider her my daughter,” Sheryl said.  “She’s been like a daughter to me.  She’s everything.  He said to me when we started to date, “Do you mind if I have a daughter,’ because other people he dated had an issue with it.  I said ‘I absolutely don’t have a problem; that’s the package you come with.’”
John and Sheryl met in a bowling league in late 1992.
“We would see each other every week,” John said.  “I think we were both infatuated with each other for a long time before either one of us ever said anything.  And actually she made the first move.”
Sheryl had slipped John a note that said, “Come meet me in the bar.  I’m saving a seat right next to me.”
John and Sheryl’s first date was a concert with Clint Black and Wynonna Judd, and they got married got married about a year later, in 1994.
“I knew he was my soul mate,” said Sheryl.  “Within the second week of dating him, I knew I wanted to marry him, and I knew he was the one.”
About 18 months into their marriage, Sheryl was diagnosed with a very aggressive tumor in her breast and underwent several surgeries, including a subcutaneous mastectomy.
“It was scary for me because I thought he might leave me.  I felt like damaged goods, and I wasn’t healthy,” she said.  “It was hard, but we got through it.”
Over the course of their marriage, the Geracis brought family members into their home, some who needed help to get back on their feet and others who they helped raise.  John and Sheryl helped raise their nephews by bringing them into their home, attending football games and track meets, and put them through college at California State University, Northridge.  They also took in two girls from the Santa Clarita Valley and helped support them.
“We went to everything we possibly could to support those kids,” John said.
They have also taken care of aging parents, supported each other through the loss of loved ones, renewed their wedding vows, traveled to Hawaii, overcome layoffs, met John’s biological family and more.
The Geracis moved into their Sand Canyon home in 2005 and were asked to participate in the Henry Mayo Holiday Home Tour.  They furnished and renovated their house in just nine months leading up to the tour.  This was just the beginning of their involvement in the Santa Clarita Community.
Over the next several years, the Geracis became involved with nonprofit organizations including the Child & Family Center, Single Mothers Outreach, Bridge to Home, the Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita Valley and the Battle Buddies Foundation, on top of working at their respective jobs in insurance and Mary Kay.
John and Sheryl say they’re looking forward to the next chapter in their life, which they hope includes traveling, golf, wine tasting and grandchildren.
“You don’t really know what love is until you feel it in your heart,” John said. “From the first day we met and started dating, I couldn’t even imagine myself without her.  Just be patient.  Love isn’t something that happens overnight; it takes time.”

photo by Joie de Vivre photographie

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