James (Jim) Eggleston Giesen of Dubuque died Sept. 27, 2022.  A visitation service will be held 4:00-7:00 p.m., Friday, Sept. 30 at Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Westview, 2659 JFK Road, where prayer and a sharing of memories will be at 6:30, to view the livestream of the prayer and sharing of memories please click the following link, Live stream link . The Mass of Christian Burial will be at the Church of the Resurrection, Sat., Oct 1 at 10:30 a.m. Both services will be livestreamed atLive stream . Burial will be at Resurrection Cemetery.

      Jim was born in Minneapolis, MN on Nov. 16, 1937, son of Earl and Patricia (Eggleston) Giesen.  He grew up in Delano, MN, and graduated from Delano High School.  He graduated from the University of Minnesota in June 1960 with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree.

     Jim married Judith Haley Giesen in August of 1962 in Des Moines, IA.  He worked for John Deere from 1960 until his retirement in 1986.  His John Deere experiences included:  Product Engineering; John Deere Des Moines Works; Product Safety Engineering; Deere & Company, Moline IL; Field Service Supervisor, Waterloo Tractor Works; Manager of Reliability, Deere Engine Works, Waterloo. He truly enjoyed his great variety of work within a wonderful company. 

       Jim was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve from 1961-67 and on active duty in 1961.

       In 1986, Jim and Judy took a position at Loras College in Campus Ministry working with students, staff and faculty on matters of peace and justice. From 1990-1996 Jim worked with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque managing more than 200 units of housing for people of low income.

     Jim was dedicated to volunteer church and civic organizations.  He served on the Sacred Heart Moline School Board, the St. Edward Waterloo Parish Council, the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, The Iowa Catholic Conference, the Archdiocesan Due Process Board, the Waterloo Civil Service Commission, Dubuque Housing Commission, Dubuque Community Development Commission and the Dubuque County Foster Care Review Board.  He also volunteered as a teacher aide at Prescott and Lincoln schools, Dubuque. He was a member of the Democratic party.

     Jim enjoyed building and renovating his family homes, yard work, and furniture and frame making.

     Through his seventies, Jim enjoyed snow skiing, water skiing, tennis, and jogging. Jim and Judy traveled to many international destinations and hiked and toured several national parks with friends.

       Jim is survived by Judy, his wife of 60 years; children Tom (Chris) and Tim (Shannon), of Denver; Julie of Chicago; grandchildren Truman, Jack, Quincy, Benjamin and Levi of Denver; sister Linda Giesen (Henry Dixon) of Dixon, IL; sister, Mary Giesen of Concord, CA.

     The family requests no flowers. Memorials may be made to Catholic Relief Service, Dubuque Rescue Mission, Dubuque Dream Center, the Parkinson’s Foundation and Resurrection Catholic Church.

     The family wishes to thank the great medical care of Dubuque physicians Dr. Sara Loetscher and Dr. Lee Berman, and Dr. Nandakumar Narayanan, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Thanks to our friends from Des Moines, Waterloo, Moline and Dubuque for their support and love through the years.

Click here to view the Mass of Christian Burial for James Giesen.