Geraldine â??Gerriâ?? Staples Sapp was born on February 16, 1929, in Greensboro, to the late Ruben and Mabel Powell Staples. Her earthly journey ended early in the morning on Friday, January 11, 2013 at the Camden Place Health and Rehabilitation Center. Geraldine relocated to New York at an early age to be with her father following the death of her mother. She remained in New York with her father and was educated at Public School (PS) 104 until she was in the 8th grade. At that time, her father decided that his young daughter needed the love and support that his family â??down southâ?? could provide. So, he brought Geraldine back to Greensboro to be with â??Grandma Staples.â?? With this relocation, Geraldine immediately became surrounded by lots of loving and supportive aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. These bonds of family and friendship were gifts that she treasured her entire life.Geraldine continued her education and graduated from James B. Dudley Senior High School in 1946. She graduated from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NCA&TSU) with a degree in Business Education in 1961. In 1951, Geraldine married James Edward Sapp. To this union, one daughter â?? Melinda â?? was born. Although Geraldine and Edward were not married at the time of his death in 2000, they remained close friends. Geraldine and Edward shared a mutual respect for each other and a genuine love and admiration for Melinda, who passed in 2003 at the age of 49 years. Service to God and service to the community were important to Geraldine. Soon after marrying Edward, she became a member of the Raleighâ??s Cross Road United Methodist Church. Over the years, Geraldine actively supported the ministries of the church. Geraldine remained involved in the work of the church as long as her health permitted.At the age of 19 while a student at NCA&TSU, Geraldine took a job as a counselor at a Girl Scout summer camp for African-American girls in North Carolina. As a young wife and mother, Geraldine saw the Girl Scouts as a viable way of teaching young women, including her daughter and others in the community, the value of leadership and service. This experience proved to be life-changing for Geraldine. â??In those days, the schools and most of the activities were segregated,â?? said Geraldine in a newspaper interview in 1992. â??A wealthy citizen had donated a 125-acre camp to theblack Girl Scouts, which offered all kinds of recreational and learning opportunities. I returned from the camp with the firm belief that the benefits of Scouting should be afforded to all girls. When I told the field director how I felt, she signed me up as a Brownie leader on the spot.â?? Geraldine worked for 11 years as a volunteer. Then in 1959, she became a paid field director for the Girl Scouts. Over the course of her career, Geraldine relocated from Greensboro in leadership roles with Girl Scout councils in Roanoke, Virginia; Baltimore County, Maryland; and Fredericksburg, Virginia. She retired from Girl Scouts in 1992 after 33 years of professional service and 11 years of volunteer service. Throughout the years, countless young women were nurtured by Geraldine. Her goal was to instill in them the Girl Scoutâ??s motto of â??building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.â?? In addition to serving the community through scouting, Geraldine also was an Eastern Star and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She became a member through the Greensboro Alumnae Chapter in 1971. Left to cherish Geraldineâ??s memory are an aunt, Mary Alice Staples Sapp; cousins Lafayette and Theresa Chavis Meachum, Norma Jean Chavis Maberson, Francis Staples Whitsett, Rev. Theodore Powell, and Chuck and Sandra Wallington. Together we are joined by numerous other cousins from the Staples, Jeffers, and Powell families to celebrate Geraldineâ??s life, legacy and love. We thank God for allowing her to be a part of our family.