Giglierano, Joseph D.

Joseph D. Giglierano, 87, of Iowa City, died Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012, at the Solon Care Center from complications of a stroke. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service, Iowa City, where visitation will be at 1 p.m. before the services, with a continued time of fellowship following the services at the funeral home.

Joseph was born May 22, 1925, in Buffalo, N.Y., the son of Italian immigrant, Vincenzo Giuseppe Giglierano of Satriano, Italy and Cecilia Heska Giglierano of Buffalo.

He grew up in the Italian neighborhood in Buffalo and enjoyed recounting colorful stories from his youth. To his grandson, who is studying performance violin at Oberlin Conservatory, his eyes sparkled as he talked about his own short-lived career playing the violin in grade school. “I hated it because I always got teased for carrying my violin to school.” One day a group of bullies started a fight with him and he used his violin in self- defense, breaking the case in the process. Afterward his father made him carefully wrap his violin in newspaper and he carried it to school like a dead fish.

Another favorite tale was about working in his (uncle's) bakery. He was expected to do so with little or no pay, so he decided to pay himself and his friends with jelly doughnuts that were filled with triple the usual amount of jelly. In the Solon Nursing Home where he spent the last two years of his life, he was known for his wide smile and his sense of humor teasing the staff.

He served in World War II as a corporal in the military police and after the war studied art at the Art Institute of Buffalo. On Aug. 18, 1951, he married ceramic designer, Beatrice Carol Jackson, and together they had three children, Joseph, Geoffrey, and James. He put his artistic talents to use in the field of advertising and display. He worked most of his career for the J.C. Penney Co., starting new stores. When he tired of the travel involved in that career, he worked in sales and newspaper advertising. In 1976, he started his own business called ADS (Advertising Display Service). His careers gave him the opportunity to live in several different places, including Buffalo, N.Y., Detroit and Adrian, Mich., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Goshen and Batavia, Ohio.

In 1977, he became legally blind, but with determination and an indomitable spirit he was able to continue working for another 15 years before retiring.

After retirement, he and Beatrice moved to Iowa City, Iowa to be close to family. There, Joseph started a second career as an artist, specializing in using oil crayons in a painterly method to document the changing Midwest landscapes. He was a prolific artist, selling his work in local shows and galleries. His own home contained over 100 of his paintings hanging on the walls. His work is in collections across the country from New York to California.

He is survived by his sons, Joseph and wife Allison of San Jose, Calif., Geoffrey and wife Jennifer of St. Louis, Mo., and James and wife Earlene of Iowa City. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Emily, Nathan, Vincent, William and Simon; and a sister, Marion Wydra of Buffalo, N.Y.

His wife, Beatrice; brother, Alfred; and parents predeceased him.

Memorial donations can be made in Joe's memory to the Iowa City Senior Center.

Online condolences may be sent for his family through the Web at www.gayandciha.com.

Published Oct. 4, 2012 in The Gazette