Annetta Giesler

Annetta Giesler, 88, Mandan, went to be with her Lord and Savior at May 15, 2010. Services will be held at 11:00 am Thursday at Century Baptist Church, 205 Colt Avenue, Bismarck. Burial will be held at the North Dakota Veteran’s Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be held from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm Wednesday at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a prayer service will be held at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Annetta was born at Delmont, SD, the daughter of Christian and Amelia Ruff Welk. She was delivered by her Grandma Ruff on January 17, 1922. When she was six weeks old the Welk family moved to Kulm, ND, where she grew up and attended rural schools. The Welk sisters were widely known for their work ethic as “hired girls;” therefore Annetta was hired by many people to help with housework, milking cows, cleaning yards and cooking for threshing crews. Through her farm jobs she met her husband, Robert “Bob” Giesler. Robert and Annetta were married February 19, 1948, in Grand Forks, ND. Robert was an electrician, requiring them to move often, wherever work led them. When they were living in Aurora, MN, their son, Donald, was born and when they lived in Pasco, WA, their special daughter, Margaret, was born. Annetta was a faithful Christian and very active in all the churches she attended. Annetta was thrifty and always watched for a good sale or a coupon to clip. She was well-known for her German cooking and baking, and always shared it with numerous visitors and family over the years. She also looked forward each year to her large garden, and would can and share the harvest with others. She enjoyed sewing and making quilts for herself, her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. After Bob retired, Annetta looked forward to their winter trips to Arizona with friends and relatives, as well as many other trips including a trip to Germany. Her favorite things were playing Skip-Bo, coffee and caramel rolls. Annetta with be greatly missed by her son, Don Deb Giesler, Mandan; her special daughter, Margaret Giesler, Bismarck; her grandchildren, Ryan Megan Giesler and their children, Juel, Owen, and Ruger; and Jody Mike Finstad and their children, Rhiannon, Noah, and Jordis, all of Bismarck. She is also survived by her sisters, Leona Art Bollinger, Edgeley, and Frieda Keller, Jamestown; and two brothers, Art Welk, Miller, SD, and Ken Marilyn Welk, Mandan. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert in 2006; her parents; an infant sister, Lenora, her sister, Nora Kinzler and her brothers, Norman and Walter Welk.

Annetta Giesler

January 17, 1922 - May 15, 2010