Obituary of Tricia Elisabeth Ledterman Geisreiter

Tricia Elisabeth Ledterman Geisreiter passed away while vacationing in Italy on May 13, 2022. Born on October 8, 1969 in Pomona, California to Jill and Richard Ledterman, Tricia moved with her family to the beautiful redwoods of Ben Lomond, California. The family’s early vacations to Yosemite and their proximity to the Santa Cruz mountains instilled in Tricia a lifelong love of nature and of all creatures great and small. Tricia graduated from San Lorenzo Valley High School, then went on to attend Cabrillo College. She then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations from San Jose State University in 1993. While studying oceanography at Cabrillo, she met fellow student and lab partner, Reed Geisreiter, who soon became the love of her life. The couple were married and lived in San Jose, but moved to Santa Cruz County shortly thereafter. Reed and Tricia were blessed to enjoy 28 years of marriage (over 33 years together), building a happy home filled with laughter, friends, and family. Early in life, Tricia studied dance and carried that love of dance and music into adulthood. She could frequently be found dancing up a storm on her oceanfront patio to ABBA, Jimmy Buffet, or the latest hit musical soundtrack. When she found a new song that really spoke to her, it would quickly become “her song” which she would play on repeat as she sang along every time. Her kind spirit was most apparent in her dedication to animals. Working in Animal Services for over a decade, Tricia was instrumental in improving countless lives. Meeting Rosie the Cow at the shelter prompted a vegetarian lifestyle on the spot. Her inability to pass a dog on the street without stopping for an introduction was a given. She would always ask the dog’s person for their story, becoming particularly delighted if she heard they had been rescued. No matter what her mood, her spirits were always lifted when she got to meet a new dog. Her own dogs, Maddie and Connor, became world-class snugglers under Tricia’s tutelage. Tricia was a mermaid at heart and loved sea creatures of all sorts, from watching sea otters float upon the waves while walking along the cliffs in Santa Cruz to snorkeling with sea turtles in her beloved Two Step in Kona, Hawaii. She was always particularly happy whenever dolphins would appear when she was watching the surf. She felt that seeing them was a reminder that God was watching over her. Tricia’s love for all things under the sea led her to create her own personal grotto on the first level of their seaside home. This is where she kept all her favorite things (books, shells, and memorabilia), and enjoyed time to herself reading, daydreaming, listening to the lull of the ocean waves, and cuddling up with the dogs. As a lifelong history buff, it became her passion to travel the world and see history firsthand. Friends will remember joining Tricia in joyous far-flung adventures, as she meticulously planned for the next trip before the current trip ended. She enjoyed planning the trip almost as much as doing the actual traveling. From the moment she was set on some adventure, she was on a deep-dive into the history, the culture, the food…anything and everything that awaited her. Her ability to make friends on her trips was astounding. A simple conversation would turn into a friendship that remained long after the trip was over, and often even led to more travels to visit her new friends. It would be a remarkable story for someone to do that once; that Tricia did it again and again effortlessly is nothing short of amazing. Tricia, a natural born social butterfly, had a unique ability to connect people, and was incredibly generous with her talents for planning and organizing events to help others. She would go to great lengths to ensure everything was just right for bridal showers, birthday parties, fundraisers, connecting new and old friends with ease. She was at her best and happiest when she was entertaining and cooking for others. Relationships were of the utmost importance to Tricia. She was a true and loyal friend to all, she maintained tight family ties and traditions with her husband, her parents, and her in-laws, and she absolutely adored being called “Auntie” and “Godmother” by so many of her friends’ children. She had a huge heart and would give you the world if she could. Tricia is survived by her husband Reed E. Geisreiter, parents Jill E. Ledterman (nee Pettit) and Richard E. Ledterman, the extended Geisreiter and Ledterman families, and an army of loving friends, who will keep her light shining in this world in perpetuity. Details for Tricia’s Celebration of Life to follow. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Grey Bears (https://greybears.org/support/) or Sweet Farms (https://www.sweetfarm.org/donate), two organizations that were meaningful to Tricia.