In Memoriam: Mandy Gerace

Chris Beytes

Mandy Gerace of Welby Gardens and Syngenta Flowers passed away suddenly on February 4. Mandy was just 46.

Mandy grew up in Welby, Colorado, the youngest of the third generation of the four-generation family greenhouse business, Welby Gardens. The daughter of Carmen and Donna Welby and niece of CEO Al Gerace, Mandy graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in communications.

After a decade of working in sales and marketing outside the family business, Mandy went back to her roots at Welby Gardens where she worked on the Hardy Boy brand sales and marketing team, and then became the Hardystarts program manager. In that role, she developed relationships with breeding companies around the world, and in 2020 she landed her “dream job” at Syngenta Flowers where she was a Root-N-Sell account manager. She recently developed health issues that made travel impossible, so she transitioned into a sales operations role. She was also serving as President of the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association Board of Directors at the time of her passing.

Mandy’s unexpected death at such a young age shocked her family, friends and colleagues. Said her obituary on the Welby Gardens page, “She lived life to the fullest and loved with every ounce of her being. She easily made her way into the hearts of everyone around her with her positive energy and fun-loving spirit. Her beautiful smile would light up a room and she was welcoming to everyone she encountered. Mandy truly touched so many lives with her selfless nature.”

A memorial page is set up at everloved.com/life-of/mandy-gerace. GT