Michael J. Geissler

Michael Geissler, 67, died peacefully surrounded by his loving family at his home on Saturday, September 30, 2023, following a brief battle with cancer. Michael was born on July 8th, 1956 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in South Bend, Indiana to the late Eugene and Josephine (Hirsch) Geissler. Michael was the 10th of 16 children. As such he was a fighter in every sense of the word. He was one of the most honest, loyal, hardworking, generous and intense human beings you will ever know and has passed on these positive attributes to his family.

Michael graduated from St. Joseph’s High School; Ivy Technical College in South Bend and too many industry-specific curricula to mention. If you asked him what his profession was, he would tell you he was a carpenter. While true, he was so much more. Over the years, he had held positions in boiler maintenance & operation, Millwright, maintenance of reverse osmosis and pumping systems, chillers and industrial HVAC systems. He was a construction and renovation project coordinator for St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, and later a general contractor and director of plant operations at other facilities, before retiring.

Outside of work, Michael was the man to call when something went awry with the mechanics of living. To his immediate and extended family, he was the master plumber, electrician, auto mechanic, and the “fixer” of all things broken. He helped better the lives of many around him as a jack of all trades. His craftsmanship can be seen in many of our homes today. When he would do a repair job for one of his family members, something extra would always be thrown in to make future maintenance or repair easier. Working on projects with Michael, and his three brothers would yield to his leadership out of awe of his skill. Michael would have every step of a project, no matter how complex, mapped out in his head before the first cup of morning coffee would be poured.

On June 19, 2021, he was united in marriage to the former Debra (Allriedge). Second to his beloved wife Debra, Michael loved bacon, fossil fuels, things that went “boom”, history and the US Constitution. As an avid reader, at night you would often see him pouring through war history books. In later years you would see him doing the same with the Bible. While he would tell his immediate family not to discuss politics during gatherings, he just couldn’t help himself and would end up in a lively discussion with whomever was nearby.

Michael (PoPo) leaves behind his wife, Debra; his son, Casey (Amanda) Geissler; and his daughter Jennifer (Brandon) Geissler; four grandchildren, Reagan, Maddox, Faith, Kayne, and one on the way; as well as two stepdaughters, Kimberly Gregory and Jill Wilson, and two stepgrandchildren, Ella and Evan Wilson; mother-in-law Janet Allriedge; three brothers, Pete (Ann) Geissler, Mark (Ruth) Geissler, and Justin (Krystelle) Geissler; ten sisters: Kathleen Geissler, Mary Lanzone, Sarah Smylie, Sheila Hall, Molly Barrett, Nora Geissler, Eileen (Dennis) Overman, Margaret Geissler, Agnes Luqmaan, and Maura (John) Neafsey. He also leaves behind a brother-in-law, James Allriedge; and sister-in-laws, Susie Lichnerowicz, Jaynie (Bill) Monahan and Cindy McFarland; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

He was also preceded in death by his sisters, Annie and Teresa Geissler; father-in-law, Richard Allriedge; brother-in-law, Mark Lichnerowicz; and sister-in-law, Wendy Allriedge.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, October 13th at 10:00 am, at the South Side Baptist Church, 1130 E. Jackson Road, South Bend, Indiana. Pastor Scott Smith will be officiating.