“Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn.”
“Surely we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return.”
Obituary
Remembering the life of Geraldine Aziz
We return our beloved Geraldine Aziz (known as Gerri, Gigi, Ms. Aziz, Sister Geraldine, Ma, Mommy, and Grandma to some) to Allah with hearts that are heavy with loss yet filled with gratitude for the gift of her life. Geraldine returned to Allah on Friday, January 23rd, in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 79 years old.
Born in Newport News, Virginia, to Ethel Mae Stubbs & Robert Stubbs, Geraldine moved to Boston at the age of two. She attended Girls’ High School, the first public high school for women in the United States, and later continued her studies at Northeastern University (B.S. in education) and Cambridge College (M.S. in Education). From her own education, Geraldine went on to dedicate her life to the education of others. She served as a public-school teacher in Boston for nearly 30 years, teaching elementary students at the Henry L. Higginson School in Roxbury until her retirement in 2014. As many people witnessed firsthand, it was nearly impossible to travel through Hyde Park, Roxbury, or Dorchester in the early 80s and 90s without encountering a young Black adult who proudly shared that Ms. Aziz had been their teacher and thanked her for the gift of her care, guidance, and belief in them.
In 1970, Geraldine converted to Islam alongside her ex-husband, Clifford Aziz, and became a devoted servant of Allah. Continuing her lifelong commitment to education, she joined the Sister Clara Muhammad School in Boston, where she taught, volunteered, organized events, and supported the local Black Muslim community. She completed Hajj in 1980 with the second cohort of African American Pilgrims that became Sunni after departing the Nation of Islam. As a devoted Muslim, Geraldine found joy in reading the Qur’an, listening to lectures by her favorite Imam Mufti Menk, and filling her journals with reflections and prayers, and more importantly, she loved sharing new learnings with her successors and community.
While she poured love and care into countless children across Boston, Geraldine was first and foremost a devoted and deeply loving single mother of four. Her greatest pride and most sacred responsibility was her family. She raised her four children with unwavering devotion, resilience, love, sacrifice, and a tell-it-like-it-is demeanor that anyone who knows Geraldine knows is her signature. She balanced long days in the classroom with evenings filled with care, guidance, and high expectations, instilling in her children a deep commitment to family and Islam.
Over the course of Geraldine’s life, she faced many profound tests, including the unexpected loss of her own mother, who passed away from complications from a stroke. She lived with chronic diabetes, which led to weekly dialysis during the final five years of her life, as well as several major medical procedures. Through every trial, Geraldine’s fighting spirit and resilience were unmistakable. She met hardship with trust in Allah, bouncing back many times over after the doctors feared she was gone. Her life stands as a powerful testament to the perseverance and the strength of Black women, who never stop fighting, no matter what they endure.
Geraldine will always be remembered for her vivid and detailed storytelling, her love of Turkish soap operas, BritBox, and Bobby Flay, her deep and unwavering belief in the power of Noxzema, her enduring commitment to the Boston community, and her warm, radiant smile. She found joy in life’s simple pleasures: dancing with her girlfriends, a good game of bid whist, and, above all, doting on and spoiling her beloved grandchildren.
She is survived by her four children: Karimah Aziz Williams, Clifford A. Aziz Jr., Malik Aziz, Saadia Aziz; her daughter-in-law, Rima Abdulbari; her grandchildren, Erika Williams, M. Amir Williams, and Yara Aziz; and her sister, Gloria Jean Shavers.
May Allah reunite us with Geraldine in gardens beneath which rivers flow.
Picturebook
Memory wall
My sincere condolences. . .
Love you all,
Maurice
As-Salaam-Alaikum, Rest in Paradise my Mentor, my Auntie-Mom.
More than Love,
Yvonne
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