Nana- Marie “Nan” Gernerd, 80, died on Aug. 28, 2018.

Born Feb. 20, 1938, in Allentown, she was the daughter of Reno and Claire (Peters) Pessina.

Her parents created her original name by combining parts of their mothers’ names.

She graduated from Allentown High School but not without making her mark as an athlete, cheerleader and an avid lover of reading and history.

Shortly after high school, she married William J. Gernerd and they lived in Wurzburg, Germany, at the beginning of their marriage.

Their son, Douglas, was born while they lived in Germany.

When they returned to the United States, she began her long work career, first at PP&L and then at Lehigh Portland Cement.

Four years after the birth of Douglas, their daughter, Karen, was born.

Around this time, she became a bank teller for Merchants Bank, Fogelsville.

Her banking career spanned close to 30 years, and she ended her career as an assistant branch manager for the Fogelsville branch of Wells Fargo Bank.

She also supported her husband’s devotion to the Fogelsville Volunteer Fire Company, serving as a member of the Ladies Auxiliary.

Over the past several years, she loved meeting with former classmates from both her class, the 56ers, and her husband’s class from Parkland.

She and her husband also took many cruises over their 56 years together.

Most of all, however, her passions were reading, Turner Classic Movies and her family.

She would finish several books a week, all with the TCM channel playing in the background.

She was a wealth of historical trivia and knowledge.

She loved her family, functioning as the matriarch over the past 20 years, she was intent on ensuring the family all stayed together, a promise she made to her mother.

Her survivors include a son Douglas W. and wife, Cheri, of Orefield; daughter, Karen M. Beerer, wife of James Beerer of Durham; grandchildren Jamie I. Gieraga and husband, Kris, Adam Gernerd, Evan Ochs and husband, Matt; John Rice, Kelsey and Kendall Beerer; great-grandchildren Caiden, Dominik, Ava and Camden; sister Susan Fenstermaker and her husband, Tim; brothers, Russell E. Pessina and his wife, Barbara, and Michael W. Pessina and his wife, Shelley, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was predeceased by her parents.

Condolences may be offered to the family at kellerfuneralhomes.com.

Contributions may be made to the Angela Rene Pessina Foundation Fund, in memory of her loving niece at Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, 840 W. Hamilton St., Suite 310, Allentown, PA, 18101 or to Fox Chase Cancer Center at foxchase.org.

Arrangements were made by Keller Funeral Homes Inc., Fogelsville.