LARNED — Inez Leona (Birzer) Giessel, 90, passed away Sept. 29, 2016, at the Arbor Court Retirement Community in Topeka. She was born Jan. 16, 1926, in Rural Barton County, a mile east of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, north of Ellinwood, the 16th of 18 children born to Joseph and Mathilda (Beran) Birzer. She graduated from the eighth grade at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School. On Feb. 11, 1947, she married John Jacob Giessel and they began their life together on the farm northwest of Larned. He passed away April 13, 1985.
After raising their family, she obtained her GED and worked for many years as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Larned. In October of 2015 she moved to Topeka.
She was a member of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Larned and Most Pure Heart Catholic Church of Topeka. She also was a member of the Sacred Heart Altar Society and the St. Joseph Hospital Auxiliary. She was especially gifted with artistic talent, leaving a legacy of handcrafted quilts and beautiful hand-painted china. Her strength and joy in her life was her faith and her family.
Survivors include, two sisters, Margaret Reichuber of Hutchinson and Bertha Achatz and husband Milton, of Ellinwood; one sister-in-law, Edith Mae Giessel of Spearville; her children include, Dr. Michael Giessel and wife Cindy, of Topeka, Madalene Miller and husband Sandy, of Nacogdoches, Texas, Tom Giessel and wife Sheryl, of Larned, Jay Giessel and wife Katherine Moran, of Burlington; 10 grandchildren, Justin Miller (Dianne) of Eagan, Minn., Amanda Peterson (Chuck) of Topeka, Doug Miller (Allison) of Kingwood, Texas, Sarah Parrish (Marc) of Prairie Village, Andrew Giessel (Darci Hanna) of Somerville, Mass., Lynn Wright (Kelly) of Johnson, Jerrod Giessel (Katie) of Shawnee, Kate Giessel of Brooklyn, N.Y., Cari Beauchamp (Sam) of Farnsworth, Texas and Ann Bonsignore (Diego) of Mission; and 18 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her siblings, August and Emma (infancy), James, George, Albert, Robert, Clara, Kate, Mary, Helen, Elizabeth, Anna, Laura, Cecilia and Eleanor.
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Larned with Father Warren Stecklein presiding. Rosary and vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Larned. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday at Beckwith Mortuary in Larned. Burial will be in the Larned Cemetery following the service. Memorials may be given to the Sacred Heart Education Center in Larned, the Midland Hospice in Topeka, or the Arbor Court Retirement Community in Topeka, in care of the funeral home. Personal condolences may be left for the family at www.beckwithmortuary.com.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Beckwith Mortuary**
P.O. Box 477
Larned, KS. 67550
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Sept. 30, 2016
