Irene K. Gese

Irene K. Gese, 88, of Aberdeen, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 2, 2019, at Bethesda Home of Aberdeen. 

Mass of Christian burial will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, September 7, 2019, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 409 2nd Avenue NE, Aberdeen, with Father Michael Griffin, Celebrant.

Burial will take place at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Aberdeen, with a luncheon and time of fellowship immediately following at Schriver’s Memorial Fellowship Center.

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 beginning at 7:00 p.m. Visitation continues one hour before Mass at the church on Saturday. 

Family and friends may sign Irene’s online guestbook and also view her service via the live stream service link at www.schriversmemorial.com.

Irene K. Zimmerman was born February 10, 1931, to George and Theresa (Gisi) Zimmerman in Hillsview, SD.  This is the area where she was raised and attended school. Later in life, when Irene was in her 50’s, she took classes and eventually earned her GED.

Irene was introduced to Joseph “Joe” Gese by his sister-in-law, Honey Gese, at the National Tea Grocery Store in Aberdeen.  The couple instantly fell in love and Joe quickly realized he had found his angel on Earth.  They were married only a few short months later on November 21, 1949, in Hillsview. During their early years of marriage, Irene and Joe worked side by side at the Silver Moon Bar.  Once Joe started his own construction business, Irene worked painstakingly staining and varnishing much of the woodwork for many of the homes he built.  Later, after their kids were raised, Irene enjoyed working at Control Data and the Brown County Welfare Office.  She will always be remembered for her strong work ethic and her attention to detail, as well as her kind and gentle spirit.  Eventually Joe and Irene remodeled their small cabin and retired at “the lake”.  They raised six children and shared 64 wonderful years together before he passed away on April 29, 2014.  In October of 2015, she became a resident of Bethesda Home of Aberdeen, where she continued to reside until the time of her death.

Irene was a woman of great faith and was a life-long, active, member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Aberdeen.  In her spare time, she loved being outside tending to her yard and gardens and enjoying the peace and beauty of nature. Irene especially loved watching and feeding the birds and was particularly fond of her yellow finches.  She took pride in her many beautiful flower and vegetable gardens through the years and one would be hard-pressed to find a weed in any of them. For many years, Irene also canned many of the vegetables she grew.  Her pickles were a family favorite.  Irene was a wonderful cook.  She loved entertaining and having the entire family together for holidays and family gatherings, many of which were spent at Mom and Dad’s lake cabin, which was built by Joe and Irene.  Irene was truly the ultimate hostess and always made sure her guests were well taken care of, rarely sitting down or resting while they were there.  Many fond memories of these gatherings will remain and be cherished by her family for years to come.

Forever grateful for sharing Irene’s life are her six children:  Deb (Greg) Sander, Karen (John) Marso, Joe Jr. (Lisa) Gese, Nancy (Keith) Dahme, Jim (Dianne) Gese and Mary (Bill) Cooper; her sister, Delores Malsom; her brothers, Quinten (Carol) Zimmerman and Dean (Beverly) Zimmerman;13 grandchildren:  Stacy (Rob) Baumgartner, Danielle (Fred) Johnson, Dustin (Nicole) Harr, Frank (Patti) Marso, Sarah (Chris) Kattke, Joe Gese III, Jordan (Erica) Gese, Davis Gese, Brian (Amanda) Dahme, Kevin (Nicolle) Dahme, Michael (Taylor) Gese, Derek (Samantha) Cooper and Dylan Cooper; 21 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren, all of whom she adored.

Irene was preceded in death by her husband, Joe; and her parents, George and Theresa.

Irene’s family wishes to thank all of the wonderful staff and residents at Bethesda Home of Aberdeen, as well as the Hospice staff, for the love, care, and compassion shown to her through the years. 

Click here to view Irene's Liturgical Wake Service. Click "Turn off Music" below Irene's picture for sound.

Click here to view Irene's Mass of Christian Burial. Click "Turn off Music" below Irene's picture for sound.

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