Robert GIESSL

Robert Peter Giessl, born in Detroit, Michigan on December 20, 1942 to Peter and Wilhelmina, passed away on August 16 in Fairfield, Ohio. A chemist by training, he studied at Wayne State University, Penn State University, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Findlay, ultimately earning a teaching certificate and three masters' degrees on top of his bachelor's. Some of his first years were spent as a teacher at Scarlet Oaks Vocational High School before moving on to work in the flavor industry and eventually joining the effort to clean up the Fernald nuclear site. One of Robert's great passions was for all things Nature: he once cycled around Lake Superior, was an avid birdwatcher, gardener, hiker, a long-time member of the Sierra Club and Audubon Society, and a lover of National Geographic. He is preceded in death by his parents and son, Gregory, and survived by his sister, Judy (Dave) Robell, his children Arianne (Kevin) Welsh and Ryan, their mother, Irene, his grandchildren Bella and Roman Welsh, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. A private commemorative event will be held for him in the Spring. Donations in his memory can be made to the Sierra Club or the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.