March 7, 1942 — April 14, 2026
David A. Giese, 84, of Marshalltown, formerly of Mason City, passed away Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at The Willows of Marshalltown.
A funeral service will be held at 10: 30 a.m., Friday, May 8th, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mason City with Rev. Dan Gerrietts officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery in Mason City.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday, May 7th, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Mason City, and will continue one hour prior to services at the church.
David Allan Giese, the son of Allan William and Blanche Emily (Morgan) Giese, was born on March 7, 1942, in Boulder, Colorado. He grew up in Boulder and graduated from Boulder High School in 1960. David continued his education at the University of Northern Colorado, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964 with a double major in Theatre and Language Arts.
On June 20, 1970, he married Mary Caroline Boehnke at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mason City. During their marriage, they were blessed with two sons: Allan and Michael.
David began his teaching career in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and then moved to Mason City in 1968, where he taught language arts and served as speech coach and directed three major plays annually at Mason City High School until his retirement in 2003. During his tenure, he became Department Chair for Language Arts, taught Advanced Placement courses, and was a trainer for the Principals of Effective Teaching with the Area Education Agency. He created and directed the Chamber Players choral reading group, originated the Mohawk Interpretation Festival, and served as an assistant coach for Mock Trial teams. He was an officer in the National Forensic League as well as the Iowa High School Speech Association.
David was a founding member of KCMR radio, and served as president and treasurer of the board, as well as hosted the Music for Sunday Morning program for many years. He was active in Community Theatre as an actor, director and president of the board. He was a member of the Friends of the Library board, and of the worship and music board at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Upon his retirement, he and Mary moved to Marshalltown where David taught at Marshalltown Community College as an adjunct professor. He was elected to the board of Central Rivers Area Education Agency, and he pursued his interest in photography as a member of the Central Iowa Camera Club. Several of his photos were selected for exhibit at the Iowa State Fair.
David is survived by his wife, Mary Giese, of Marshalltown; two sons, Allan (Lori) Giese of Ham Lake, MN and Michael (Amber) Giese of Port Matilda, PA; four grandchildren, Emily and Ethan Giese and Hannah and Blaine Giese; a brother, James (Sue) Giese of Longmont, CO; brothers-in-law, John (Barbara) Boehnke of Roswell, GA and Paul (Julie Elhard) Boehnke of St. Paul, MN; nieces and nephews, Rae Buchanan, Jamie Giese, Eva Shell, Lila Boehnke and Bryan Boehnke; and other family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and his wife’s parents, George and Edna Boehnke.
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