Josie Giesbrecht
Josie J. Giesbrecht, 67, died Nov. 14, 2003, at Marion Manor.
Born Oct. 19, 1936, at Meade, she was the daughter of Isaac and Martha (Thiessen) Harms.
She was baptized at the Nazarene Church in Meade. She attended high school in Meade through the 11th grade when she moved to Newton to work at Bethel Hospital.
On May 2, 1964, she married Roger Giesbrecht in the Bethel Chapel. They started their life together one mile north of the Giesbrecht family farm in eastern Marion County.
After Roger's parents moved to Hillsboro in 1967, Roger and Josie moved onto the family farm where they lived for the next 27 years.
They were involved in the Grant Township rural community and attended Youngtown church. Josie was active in the local EHU and UMW clubs.
In March 1968, they adopted a daughter, Lesa Ann, when she was five months old.
In addition to motherhood, Josie was a farm wife and homemaker. She was dedicated to her family and home and a great help to Roger with farming chores.
The Giesbrechts followed a tradition of vacationing in Colorado following the fall harvest. After Roger's retirement from farming in 1991, they began to stay in Colorado for the summer, becoming campground hosts at Cross Creek Campground near South Fork, Colo.
In 1984, Roger and Josie purchased the Daylight Donut Shop in Hillsboro. For seven years they made and sold donuts to those in Hillsboro and surrounding communities.
She had a wonderful sense of humor that drew people in for donuts and conversation.
She was a member of United Methodist Women of Youngtown and Florence United Methodist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Roger, of Florence; a daughter, Lesa Dailey of Wichita; two brothers, Paul Harms of Amarillo, Texas, and Mike Harms of Bartlesville, Okla.; a sister, Barbara Harms of Helena, Mont.; and one grandchild, Blake Dailey of Wichita.
Funeral services were held Tuesday morning at Florence United Methodist Church with the Revs. Mark Moore and Bill Dyar officiating.
Burial was in Grant Township Cemetery.
A memorial fund has been established with the Florence Senior Center.
