William Gill Giese Sr.

William Gill Giese Sr. died at his home Dec. 28, 2014, in Fayetteville, Ark., and was buried in the National Cemetery in Fayetteville, after years of battling spinal stenosis. Giese, 87, was born Feb. 27, 1927, in Lancaster County, Va., to Bertha and James Huling Giese Sr. Mr. Giese served his country in the Army during World War II, and the U.S. Air Force in Korea, Vietnam and during the Cold War. He retired as Chief Master Sergeant in 1973, and became an accomplished woodworker and professional cabinetmaker. Under the direction of master cabinetmaker Louis "Junior" Treece, they built the original doors and light fixtures for the Fay Jones designed Thorncrown Chapel near Eureka Springs, in addition to other cabinets and commissions throughout the region and U.S. In retirement, Giese returned to his childhood discipline: farming. He and his wife successfully operated ABC Farm on Zion Road in Fayetteville for many years, where he and Anna built their own house. Mr. Giese farmed sustainably, designed and installed irrigation systems, and was an avid and successful beekeeper and member of the American Chestnut Foundation. He was married to Anna Marie Olups of Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1954, and they had five children, Dennis P. Bauer and Toni Bauer of Baton Rouge, La., Billie Giese and Edgar Denk of De Kalb, Ill., Dawn Marie Spence and Ronald Spence of Muskogee, Okla., William Gill Giese Jr. and Kelly Lynn (Whiting) Giese of East Bend, N.C., and James Huling Giese III and Gail Wiseman of Madison, Wis.; and six grandchildren, Joseph Vella, Damian and Renee Spence, and William Gill, Christopher and Amelia Giese. A memorial for Mr. and Mrs. Giese is dedicated to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tontitown, Ark., P.O. Box 39, Tontitown, AR 72770. Services were entrusted to Nelson-Berna Funeral Home of Fayetteville.