BEISKER, John William "Jack" 1923-1999

EWING, BEISKER, MILLER, HOWE, SHAFFER, OLSON, KELBL, GIEHM, KELLISON

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 9/24/2010 at 18:12:22

Decorah Journal, Thursday, June 10, 1999

John "Jack" Beisker, 75, of Waukon, died Sunday, June 6, 1999, at the Good Samaritan Center there following a lengthy illness.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, June 9, at 11 a.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church in Waukon. Officiating were the Revs. Lynn Groe and David Schafer.

Casket bearers were grandchildren Angela Cooper, Rebecca Decker, Matthew, John, Daniel, Thomas and Zachary Howe, Carmen Mauk, Amanda Shaffer, Gabriel, Michael, Sarah and Rachel Feuerhelm, Zachariah Nobis-Olson, Jasmine Nobis-Olson and Douglas Beisker-Olson.

Burial was at Oakland Cemetery. The Martin Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

John William Beisker was born Sept. 7, 1923, in rural WINNESHIEK COUNTY, the son of George William and Alice Alzina (Ewing) Beisker. He attended rural elementary schools and three years of Waukon High School. He later received his GED in 1979.

On Oct. 28, 1947, he married Arlene Bertha Miller at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Postville. The couple farmed and trucked until 1952, when they purchased a store in Rossville.

From there, they operated "Beisker's General Merchandise" for over 20 years. In 1980, they remodeled the store into a supper club and ran that until 1993.

Jack served as an Allamakee County supervisor from 1972-84. He was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939, the Waukon Rural Fire Board, Kiwanis, St. John's Lutheran Church and he served as township clerk in Jefferson Township of Allamakee County.

He enjoyed gardening, fishing and being in the outdoors.

Survivors include his wife, Arlene of Waukon; four daughters, Janice and Wayne Howe of Waukon, Bonnie Shaffer and friend Joel Conderman of Waukon, Regina and Ross Feuerhelm of DECORAH, and Sandra Beisker and husband David Olson of Galena, IL.; 16 grandchildren (listed as casket bearers); six great-grandchildren; one sister, Amanda and George Kelbl of Dennison; and three brothers, Roger Beisker of Waukon, David and Delores Beisker of Monona, and Larry and Ruth Beisker of Cedar Rapids.

Jack Beisker was preceded in death by his parents; sisters Georgia Riehm and Virginia Kellison; and brothers George, Dean and Marvin Beisker.

Transcribed by an IA GenWeb Volunteer from obituaries found in the Howard-Winneshiek Genealogy Society Library, Cresco, Iowa.