Rita Jo Gerard Geisler

Rita Jo Gerard Geisler

January 5, 1929 – January 27, 2021

Rita Jo Gerard Geisler, age 92, loving and wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend passed away peacefully in her home in Layton, Utah, Wednesday, January 27, 2021 surrounded by her loving family.

Rita was born on January 5, 1929, in Lewisville, Idaho on her only sibling’s 4^th birthday.  Her parents were Frank and Josephine Gerard.  She had one brother, Richard Frank Gerard, who was always her protector and friend.  They had a special relationship.  Rita attended Lewisville Elementary School and Midway High School where she was an excellent student and Valedictorian of her graduating class.  She attended LDS Business College in Idaho Falls, Idaho.  She worked for Atlantis Commission Company in Idaho Falls, Bakersfield, California and Nyssa, Oregon for 2 years. After marriage, she worked at the Atomic Energy Commission in Idaho Falls, then the Bureau of Land Management and then worked as a legal secretary to the Jefferson County Attorney in Idaho.  Her best and finest work of her life, however, was that of being a wife and mother.

When Rita was 14 years old, she was attending church when in her own words, “Lo and Behold, I saw Dick Geisler for the first time.” Dick said, “That’s for me,” when he saw Rita for the first time and thus commenced one of the most beautiful love stories that would endure the next 77 years.  He was the love of her life and she his.  Dick and Rita were married on September 17, 1950 and later sealed in the Idaho Falls, Idaho Temple.  They recently celebrated their 70^th wedding anniversary.  They loved each other deeply and lived for one another. Their loving marriage became an example to all who knew them.

Dick and Rita were blessed with four wonderful children, Tari, Mike, Ron and Seth.  She loved being a mother and dedicated her life’s work to her children.  Her life as a mother was filled with joy and many wonderful memories and happy moments.  It was also marked by loss.  Dick and Rita endured the loss of three of their children who passed away early in life, Ron, Mike and Tari.   She kept their memories always close to her heart and shared many stories of them with all of her family and friends.  Her children are her finest treasures.

Rita loved being a grandmother to her 6 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandson.   She loved her grandkids and would make sure they had all that they could possibly need or want when they came to visit. They always knew that wonderful treats and surprises were in store.

Rita was an excellent storyteller.  She had an unparalleled memory and would relate all of her history to her family in stories.  She told the best stories.   Everyone she knew loved listening to stories about her youth, her adventures and world travels with Dick, her life with her children and grandchildren and all of her colorful friends and acquaintances over the years.

Rita was a woman of impeccable taste.  One of her greatest talents in life was decorating and design.  She loved designing homes and integrating unique and one-of-a-kind elements into all of the homes she built and owned.  She had a particular eye for how things would fit together and could see the finished product before a shovel was ever placed in the dirt.  She loved buying furniture and we always used to joke that she would buy furniture by the pound.  The heavier the better.  She relished all of the steps of building and furnishing a home.

Rita was passionate about many things.  She loved trees and landscapes.  Tari would always say, “You’ve never gone on a trip until you’ve gone with my Mother and admired God’s landscapes all the way.”  She loved flowers and plants and could name every flower she saw.  She loved birds.  In her own words, “When I watch a bird fly, catching the air currents, free to soar I think, how wonderful!”  She loved clocks and said, “Although clocks are marvelous, it isn’t my favorite thing to hear the seconds of our lives ticking away, but the melodious chime makes me aware of how sweet life is.”

Rita loved everyone.  She treated everyone with love and kindness as if they were family.  There were many who could say that her home was like home to them.  She was generous, loving, accepting and loyal.  To be a friend of Tari, Mike, Ron and Seth meant you spent a lot of time in Dick and Rita’s home basking in their love and hospitality.  And that was the same for everyone she knew.

You can’t think about Rita without thinking of the words “thoughtful” and “generous.”  The kind note, the perfect gift, the thoughtful letter was always her way.  If Rita asked you how you are (or your family or your children or your parents), she genuinely meant it and the next time you saw her she would follow up and remember everything you said the time before.  If you admired something at her house, she would often just give it to you.  If you mention something you liked or needed, she would go out and buy it for you.  She was always buying things for people or giving away her treasures to others.  If you are reading this and nodding your head, that means you’ve been the beneficiary of her generous kindness.

Rita is survived by her husband, Dick Geisler, her son, Seth (Andrea) Geisler, grandchildren Erin Kate Estes, Ronee Draayer, Connor (Carly) Geisler, Ally (Colt) Sargent, Ethan Geisler and Tessa Geisler, great-grandchildren Sierra (Stockton) Boman, Tristan Draayer and Jaxston Draayer, and great-great-grandson Jeter Boman.

Rita is preceded in death by her parents Frank and Josephine Gerard, her brother Richard Frank Gerard, her sons Michael Clark and Ronald Mark Geisler and her daughter Teresa Lyn Geisler.

Funeral services for close friends and family will be held on February 1, 2021 at 11:00 am at Russon Brothers Mortuary in Farmington, Utah.  1941 North Main St., Farmington, Utah.  We will have a short time to visit and greet the family at 10:00 am before the service.  No viewing will be held.