Joseph "Joe" Anthony Gese, Sr

Mass of Christian Burial for Joseph “Joe” Anthony Gese, Sr., 83, of Aberdeen, will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 3, 2014, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 409 2nd Avenue NE, Aberdeen, with Father Mike Kelly and Father J. Joseph Holzhauser con-celebrating. Burial will take place at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation will be 5-7 p.m., Friday, at the mortuary with a Liturgical Wake Service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation continues for one hour prior to Mass at the church on Saturday.

Joe passed away Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center, following a brave and courageous, year long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Joe was born on May 5, 1930, in Aberdeen, SD, to Jacob and Phillipine (Buckmeier) Gese. At the age of 15, his father passed away and Joe quit school to take whatever jobs he could find to help support his mother and sisters. He told many stories about his work at the Riverside Cemetery and the Lyric Theater, where he met some lifelong friends.

In August of 1949, he met the love of his life, Irene Zimmerman, while she was working at the lunch counter at the National Tea Grocery Store. They married on November 21st of that same year (before she had a chance to change her mind)! He and Irene worked side by side at the Silver Moon Bar for several years. Joe also worked on his days off, nights, and weekends, doing carpentry work. In 1960, Joe started his own business, Gese Construction. He worked nearly seven days a week as he & Irene had many bills and babies.

Joe was a talented builder and respected by many in the community. His workmanship can be seen in many homes and businesses in the Aberdeen area. He did a wonderful job instilling his value of hard work and honesty into his six children. His son, Joe Jr., worked for him for many years, as well as his brother-in-law, Dean, and wonderful friend, Dennis.

In 1969, Joe & Irene bought a lot at Mina Lake. Starting with just a boathouse for several years, they eventually built one of the first cabins on the west side of the lake, which they later remodeled and retired in. He loved living at the lake. He enjoyed feeding the birds, watering the garden and many flowers Irene planted, and hosting family events there. He had a particular fondness for hollyhocks, which he grew at the lake with the seeds from his Mother’s hollyhocks. He convinced others about the beauty of the lake and was lucky enough to have his niece and nephew, Dick and Ginger; his brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Alice; and daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Bill, all living along side of him and Irene at the lake. When Joe and Irene celebrated their 50th Anniversary, he said he "couldn't believe Irene stayed with him all those years and could not have found a more perfect woman." He said, "It goes to show there are angels on earth also". Joe loved celebrations and was always the life of any party he attended. He had a wonderful sense of humor and his stories will live on in his children, grandchildren, and many friends he had. He was loved by many, and will be greatly missed by all the people he would stop and visit with on his daily trips to Menards.

Joe was a member of St. Marys Church and a lifelong member of the Eagles. He enjoyed restoring old cars, writing endless stories about his life and of growing up on West Hill. He was known for always having a project to work on and at the age of 82, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of building a sunroom onto his house. He and Irene spent many hours in there enjoying the sunshine, birds, flowers, and his faithful companion, Jordie.

Joe is survived by his loving and ever caring wife, Irene; his daughter, Deb (Greg) Sander, daughter, Karen (John) Marso, son, Joe Jr. (Lisa), daughter, Nancy (Keith) Dahme, son, Jim (Dianne) Gese, and daughter, Mary (Bill) Cooper; his grandchildren: Danielle (Fred) Johnson, Stacy (Rob) Baumgartner, Dustin (Nicole) Harr, Frank (Patti) Marso, Sarah (Chris) Kattke, Joe Gese, III, Jordan (Erica) Gese, Davis Gese, Brian (Amanda) Dahme, Kevin Dahme, Michael Gese, Derek Cooper, and Dylan Cooper; 13 great-grandchildren; two great great- grandchildren; as well as many nieces and nephews who he adored.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, four sisters, and five brothers.