Joe Giesler, age 67, of Arnolds Park, Iowa, passed away on September 23, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones.
The family warmly welcomes friends and relatives to a Celebration of Joe’s Life on Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 2:00–5:00 p.m. at the Majestic Pavilion in Arnolds Park, Iowa, with a time of sharing at 3:30 p.m. Join us for an afternoon of friendship, cheers, and stories as we celebrate Joe’s life and raise a toast with his favorite beverage, Miller Lite.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (RESEARCH) at https://www.pcf.org/donate/ or to the Shayla Bee Fund of Spencer, Iowa at https://www.shaylabeefund.com/donate.php. Both organizations have held special meaning for Joe and Lu.
Joseph “Joe” Giesler, age 67, of Arnolds Park, passed away peacefully on September 23, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones.
Joseph Donald Giesler, the son of Donald Giesler and Lucille (Gremminger) Giesler, was born on October 25, 1958, in Perryville, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics.
On April 27, 2001, Joe married the love of his life, Luanne (Braithwaite) Giesler. Together, they built a wonderful life filled with family, friendship, hard work, and travel. They especially enjoyed spending their winters in Bradenton, Florida, making memories together and enjoying time away from the cold Iowa winters.
Joe dedicated 27 years of his career to the agriculture and chemical industries, joining Terra Industries when the company acquired Agricultural Minerals Corporation in 1994. He served as Terra’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and held a variety of management positions throughout his career. His extensive knowledge of sales, operations, marketing, energy and product distribution, industrial sales, and product demand and supply planning made him a valued leader and colleague. Joe was known for being outcome-focused, knowledgeable, and a quick study, and he made many lasting contributions throughout his career.
Outside of his professional life, Joe was generous with his time and talents, serving on a number of nonprofit boards. He had a genuine love for people and will be remembered for his infectious laugh, awesome smile, generosity, and the friendships he made along the way.
Joe was a lifelong and avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. He also loved fishing and especially looked forward to his annual fishing trips with his buddies, a tradition they began in 2014. He enjoyed traveling, spending time with family and friends, and simply making the most of the time he had with those he loved.
Joe was surrounded by love and friendship during his final days. His family is especially grateful to their dear friends who surrounded and supported Joe, Lu, and Rudy during this time.
The family extends a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Jacob Orme and his wonderful staff at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Dr. Mike Kalkhoff and his wonderful staff at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa; Lakes Regional Hospice and Home Instead for the warm care they provided to Joe.
The family is deeply grateful for the prayers, kindness, friendship, and continued support shown to them during this difficult time.
Those left to cherish his memory include his beloved wife, Luanne; forever buddy, Rudy; siblings, Roy (Candyce) Giesler of Perryville, MO and Julia (Kevin) Hogard of St. Mary, MO; nieces and nephews: Amanda (Adrian, Nevaeh, Liam), Melinda, Montana (Beckem, Tatum), Danielle, Russell, and numerous friends.
Joe was preceded in death by his other forever buddy, Snatch; parents, Donald and Lucille Giesler; brother, Donnie Giesler; father and mother-in-law, Len and Mary Lou (Pardo) Braithwaite.
Arrangements are under the care of Turner Jenness Funeral Home.
