John Thomas Giese, age 76, of Elkhorn, WI, passed away surrounded by his loving family on Monday, April 7, 2025. He was born on June 3, 1948, in Racine, WI, the son of the late Ralph and Carolyn (Gibson) Giese. John married the love of his life, Sue (Murn) Giese, on August 27, 1983, at the First Congregational Church in Elkhorn, WI. He proudly served in the United States Marine Corps, and was awarded a Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam.  John was a proud member of VFW Post 6375, and was a local and state VFW Commander. John was a dedicated police officer with the Elkhorn Police Department for 31 years, retiring as Police Chief of 22 years in 2002.  After retirement, John continued his service to his community by serving on the city council, as mayor of Elkhorn, and a teacher's assistant with the Elkhorn Middle School.  John loved his family, riding his Harley, camping and hunting, and playing the bagpipes. He was a member of  the Celtic Nations bagpipe band, in which he was a piper alongside his son Jim. John was well known for his sense of humor and was a master joke teller until the end.  He was a profound role model for so many.  Of all of his great achievements, he was the most proud to be a husband, father and grandfather. He will be deeply missed.

John is survived by his loving wife Sue, children, John Jr. "JT" (Claudia) Giese, James "Jim" (Carla) Giese, Rachel (Robert) Loveday and Ashley (Phil) Zurkowski; sisters, Patricia Blasi, Candice Bethards and Deborah Vartanian; grandchildren; Hannah, Charlie, Thomas, Alexandra, Ashley and Liam, and his furry companion  Lucas. John is preceded in death by his parents; Ralph and Carolyn Giese; sisters, Pamela Kenworthy and Suzanne Carpenter; and brothers-in-law David Vartanian, Larry Bethards, Wayne Carpenter and Roger Blasi.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: VFW Post 6375, 16 S. Broad St., Elkhorn, WI, 53121 or Lakeland Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 1000, Elkhorn, WI, 53121 or https://lakelandanimalshelter.org/donate/

Visitation will take place on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 2:00PM-6:00PM at St. John's Lutheran Church, 104 S. Broad St., Elkhorn, WI, 53121, and on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the church from 10:00AM-11:00AM. Funeral service will take place at 11:00AM, following the visitation on Thursday.  A private burial with Military Honors will take place at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Haase-Lockwood & Associates Funeral Homes and Crematory of Elkhorn, WI, is honored to serve the Giese family. Online condolences can be made at https://www.haaselockwoodfhs.com

Elkhorn VFW Post 6375
16 S. Broad Street, Elkhorn WI 53121

Lakeland Animal Shelter
PO Box 1000, Elkhorn WI 53121
Tel: 1-262-723-1000
Web: https://lakelandanimalshelter.org/donate/