Welcome to
The Signing Exact English Center

Gerilee “Geri” Gustason, of Sequim, was born on July 5, 1939 to Arthur D. and Martha (Andersen) Gustason in Blair, Nebraska. She passed away unexpectedly from a stroke at the age of 79 at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles on November 9, 2018.

Gerilee was deafened at an early age due to spinal meningitis, and went on to devote her life to improving the quality of education for deaf and hard of hearing children worldwide. She received Master of Arts degrees from three universities: Gallaudet College, California State University, Northridge, and University of  Maryland. She  received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Southern California. She taught deaf students in California, at Gallaudet College, and directed a training program for teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children at San Jose State University before retiring to Sequim in 2000.

As a professor, researcher, and author, she was best known for “Signing Exact 

English” (SEE) which she co-authored with her colleague and good friend Esther Zawolkow. SEE is a sign language system designed to be an exact representation of English vocabulary and grammar.

After retiring to Sequim, she remained active as an advocate for deaf children, authoring legislation, teaching sign language courses at Peninsula College, and presenting workshops about SEE.

Geri had a remarkable sense of humor, and loved examining the strange nuances of the English language and the puzzling pronunciation of many words. “Why does ‘rough’ rhyme with ‘bluff’ while ‘though’ rhymes with ‘throw?’” She had a passion for our language and was eager to see deaf children master it as their native language. She was a true animal lover, and always lavished attention on the rescued dogs and cats that were fortunate enough to share her home. She adored living in Sequim and loved the view of the mountains and valley from her back deck.

Geri was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters Jayne, Maxine and Gloria, and brothers Billy and Arthur (Dale). She is survived by her daughter, Zoey Wolfe, whom she loved dearly, and her grandson Seamus Sexton who brightened her life every day. She is also survived by her many colleagues, students, and friends who enjoyed her wit and greatly respected her accomplishments.

A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later time. The family suggests donations in memory of Geri be sent to the Signing Exact English Center on this site. Click the 'donation' tab to contribute.