| Louisiana Division/City Archives | New Orleans Public Library |
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| GERTRUDE GEDDES WILLIS
Gertrude Geddes Willis was one of the first African American funeral directors in New Orleans and one of the most important African American women in the city. Born in 1878 in St. Bernard Parish, she moved to New Orleans with her family when she was very young. In 1898, she married Clem Geddes, one of three sons of a funeral home director. In 1909, Clem Geddes went into business with Arnold Moss to form the Geddes and Moss Undertaking Parlor; they also established a burial society (a precursor of burial insurance). When Geddes died in 1913, his wife stepped into his place. |
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In 1919, Mrs. Geddes married dentist and entrepreneur Dr. William A. Willis, and she continued to grow the business, reorganizing to become the Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home and Insurance Company. She was also active in professional, church, social and civic organizations, including local, state and national associations of funeral directors, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Peter Claver, the NAACP, and the Urban League. She and her company have always been closely associated with the Zulu parade on Mardi Gras. By the time of her death in 1970, she had built one of the largest and most successful African American businesses in New Orleans, which continues today still under the ownership of the Geddes family. Shown here is an advertisement for Geddes & Moss Undertaking and Embalming Co. from 1914, not long after Clem Geddes’ death.
(Woods Directory: Being a Colored Cusiness, Professional and Trades Directory, 1914) |