Round Dance Instructor

Geraldine 'Gerri' Roy

We lost Gerri Roy, our dear friend and long-time round dance instructor for the Western Montana Workshop, on July 25, 2009. She died of natural causes at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana, at the age of 70.

Members of the Western Montana Workshop have contributed photos for a video memorial tribute to Gerri Roy. Select one of the links below to view the video. If the music sounds funny, stop the video and wait a few seconds, then re-start the video. [video troubleshooting]

• High resolution Flash video (38 MB, suitable for high speed DSL connections)


• Low resolution Flash video (11.5 MB, suitable for low speed DSL or modem dial-up connections)

Please feel free to submit comments or memories about Gerri using our contact page.

Gerri Roy is a Montana native. She began dancing at the Western Montana Workshop with long-time friend and dance partner Gary Bowman in 1986. Others remember her dancing in the Missoula area as far back as 1980, and her younger brother remembers her dancing when he was 6 years old. Gerri knew that dancing would become her passion one night when her parents left her to babysit her siblings and she was able to see and hear them dancing in a large building across the river from their home in Elliston, Montana.

Gerri has been teaching and cueing for the Carrousel and Solo Stars dance clubs in Missoula since 1995. She and her husband, Bud Roy, met through round dancing, and this activity was always a very large part of their lives. Bud and Gerri were featured cuers at the 1998 Montana State Square & Round Dance Festival at Big Sky High School in Missoula. Gerri choreographed I Want To Dance With You, a Phase III+2 Rumba, to teach at that festival. She also choreographed many unpublished dances and special events for local clubs in the Missoula area, such as "after parties" to advertise the Montana State festivals, and other gala events at the Lolo Square & Round Dance Center in Lolo, Montana.

Bud and Gerry built a large dance floor in their home outside of Missoula, where they taught the Carrousel Club dancers for several years. After Bud's death, Gerri continued to host the Western Montana Workshop club dances in her home, where she taught and cued for the Workshop until her death in July of 2009.

Gerri was also a featured cuer at the 2004 Montana State Festival at Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Montana, where she taught with partner Gary Bowman. Gerri maintained membership in Roundalab, the professional Round Dance Teachers organization.

She will be missed and remembered fondly for many years!