Gary Freese

GARY FREESE

Monticello

If you're looking for Gary Freese, chances are you will find him repairing a hinge on the Pearly Gates. Gary passed away at his home, surrounded by his raucous, yet devoted family on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014. This was possibly the quickest anyone left his presence; whenever it was time to say goodbye to friends or family Gary always had one or six more subjects that needed to be discussed before you were allowed to back out of the driveway.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, at the Wayne Zion Lutheran Church, rural Monticello, with interment in the Wayne Zion Cemetery. Pastor Robert Wessels will officiate at the services. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Goettsch Funeral Home, Monticello.

Thoughts, memories and condolences may be left at www.goettschonline.com.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established.

Gerald Henry Freese was born April 18, 1946, to Edwin and Lucile Siebels Freese at the John McDonald Hospital, Monticello, Iowa. Farming was in Gary's blood, which coincidentally turned out to be green and yellow. Gary attended country school near Amber for his first seven years, walking uphill both ways. He had the luxury of riding a bus and graduated from the Monticello High School in 1964.

Following an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, Gary worked at Quick Way in Marion, Freese Motors and Terra Ag and the Ballou Farms in Monticello, before going to work at John Deere in Dubuque for 30 years. He retired in 2000.

Retirement became his second career. He helped mow a lawn, take an elderly relative (and he had many) to doctors' appointments, plow a field, paint a barn, volunteer at Camp Courageous or fix anything that could be categorized as mechanical. Gary was a devoted lifelong member of the Wayne Zion Lutheran Church, serving on the council twice and many years teaching Sunday school, getting the Avenue of Flags organized at the cemetery. Gary enjoyed many things, talking to any and every one, flannel shirts with snaps not buttons, blended Canadian whiskey with a splash of cola and anything that "Ran Like A Deere."

There was nothing more important to Gary or that brought him more joy than his family. Gary was a serial monogamist. He was married to the former Marilyn Harms for 12 years, then to Aletha Helle for 12 years, now Judy, the love of his life and best friend and the most patient wife for the past 19 years.

Gary never believed in prefixes, the term "stepchild" was not in his vocabulary. He had children of blood and of his heart and they are: Eric (Susan) Freese, Jeremy (Julie) Freese, Kirk (Nikki) Freese, James (Kate) Helle, Clarissa (John) Sullivan, Shawn Barker and Chris (Diane) Barker.

His absence will be acutely felt by his grandchildren, Keirsten, Brogan, Derrick, Megan, Spencer, McKabe, Jackson, Julia, Tristan, Griffin, Keegan, Savannah, Rylan, Kalab, Jazzmine and Amber; and a great-granddaughter, Izzy.

His younger brother, Byron (Gail Harms) Freese, will miss being told the correct way to complete a project; and his sister, Dorothy (Roger) Schaefer, will miss his updates on the weather, crops, neighbors and various other subjects to which she could roll her eyes without her little brother catching on.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his son, Sean in 1991.

Gary was a true and loyal friend, many of whom he loved like family, you know who you are. To refer to Gary as "a good man" is like referring to the Grand Canyon as "a ditch," it doesn't do him justice. Gary will be missed beyond measure, but we are grateful for the extra time he fought so hard to give us.