Gertrude Pocte Geddes Willis Explained

Gertrude Pocte Geddes Willis
Birth Name:	Gertrude Pocte
Birth Date:	March 9, 1878
Birth Place:	Happy Jack, Louisiana, US
Death Place:	New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Occupation:	Businesswoman
Spouse:	Clem Geddes William A. Willis

Gertrude Pocte Geddes Willis (March 9, 1878 – February 20, 1970) founded the Gertrude Geddes Willis Life Insurance Company and Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was one of the first women funeral directors in New Orleans.^[1]

Biography

Willis née Pocte was born in Happy Jack, Louisiana, on March 9, 1878, the daughter of Oscar Pocte and Louisa Woods Pocte.^{[2] [3]}

Her first husband Clem Geddes was in the funeral business. The couple partnered with Arnold Moss to form a company that sold insurance as well as owning a funeral home.^[4]

After Clem Geddes died in 1913, she married William A. Willis. In 1940, she renamed the business the Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home and Life Insurance Company.^[4] When William A. Willis died, Gertrude continued running the company, expanding its services.^[5]

Geddes was a member of the NAACP, the YWCA, and the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Peter Claver.^{[2] [5] [1]}

She died on February 20, 1970, in New Orleans.^[1]

External links

• Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home, Inc. - Our Story

Notes and References

1. Gertrude Geddes Willis. Daily World. Opelousas, Louisiana. February 25, 2008 . 2A.
2. Book: Kranz . Rachel . African-American Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs . 2004 . Infobase Publishing . 978-1-4381-0779-0 . 292 . en.
3. Book: Who's who in Colored America. 1942. Who's Who in Colored America Corporation. 570. en.
4. Book: Krismann . Carol . Encyclopedia of American Women in Business: M-Z . 2005 . Greenwood Publishing Group . 978-0-313-33384-2 . 561 . en.
5. Web site: Jones . Jae . Gertrude Pocte Geddes-Willis: One of the First Black Female Funeral Directors in New Orleans . Black Then . 9 February 2020 . 20 November 2017.