FACTORYVILLE, WYOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A local borough council president has reached new heights. Soaring through the Pennsylvania skies at 80 years old, faith and community are what keep this woman grounded. Meet this week’s Remarkable Woman.
“They always said I was a daredevil anyway,” 82-year-old Gerrie Carey said.
82-year-old Gerrie Carey jumped, quite literally, at the opportunity to go skydiving with her granddaughter Lauren Berry.
“And she went first. I can’t tell you how insane it was to see your grandmother float down from the sky like the true angel that she is,” Lauren said.
Sporting a costume just days before Halloween 2024, the video captured Gerrie free-falling before her skydiving partner opened their parachute.
“I just felt like God was right on my shoulders. I had no fears, nothing,” Gerrie added.
“She’s an enigma. I promise if you’ve met Gerrie Carey, you’ve never met a woman quite like her. She’s one of a kind,” Lauren explained.
28/22 News sat down with the adventurous Lackawanna County woman to learn more about her leap of faith.
“I was born and raised in Clarks Summit. So, this is definitely where my roots are,” Gerrie stated.
Rows of accolades hang by the fireplace in the Carey household. Pictures with Pennsylvania governors, awards, and proclamations for her work over the years as a democratic woman, and numerous photos from her time on Clarks Summit Borough Council, a seat she’s held for 27 years.
“I’m over at the borough quite a bit because there are checks to be signed and papers,” Gerrie continued.
Gerrie Carey was the first Democrat elected to the Clarks Summit Borough and elected the first female President for the borough in 2008. Gerrie says she felt moved to run for council after her home was destroyed by a fire in 1997.
“The town all came to us. I want to be able to give back to the town now.”
Over the years, Gerrie has been a staple in Clarks Summit, working to help keep the downtown thriving.
“We have a lot of events pulling people into Clarks Summit, our ice festival, and so on,” Gerrie stated.
She proposed the borough’s Hometown Hero banners to honor local veterans and maintains an open-door policy for all borough residents.
“They know that they can call me day or night, and I would go to bat for whatever their needs are, and I’ve proved that to them,” Gerrie explained.
In her free time, Gerrie wears multiple hats: a eucharistic minister, attends Rotary Club meetings, volunteers at the firehouse, is a member of the Society of Irish Women, named Honorary Grand Marshal of the Saint Patrick’s Parade in 2007, the list goes on and on.
“She’s always on the move; she never stops, she dedicates her whole entire life to other people,” Lauren said.
Most recently, she’s been named board president of the Clarks Summit State Hospital.
“That’s an organization that we are working with the governor on to get more effective buildings there filled with maybe drug & alcohol or a women’s resource center type thing,” Gerrie said.
“It’s just fantastic to even walk around with her and realize the impact she’s made on the community. I always feel like I’m walking around with a celebrity,” Lauren added.
But topping Gerrie’s priorities are faith and family; blessed with five grandchildren she loves to keep up with.
“They said to me, ‘Sister, how did you like it up in heaven?’ And I said, ‘Saint Peter said you have 25 more years on Earth, so I’m back,'” Gerrie explained.
Gerrie Carey is a Remarkable Woman.
Each week, as part of Women’s History Month, 28/22 News will highlight another Remarkable Woman in your community.
28/22 News will announce this year’s winner on April 1.
