Norman Geissinger

Norman Alfred Geissinger, 102 yrs, 41 days, went to be with the Lord on Friday, April 6, 2018 from his Menno Village home, Chambersburg, PA. Norman was born February 24, 1916 in Hosensack, Pennsylvania to Abraham and Katie Godshall Stauffer Geissinger. He was raised and baptized in the Upper Milford Mennonite church where he served as Deacon for many years. He graduated from East Greenville High School, East Greenville, PA. He met Mianna Eisenhart at summer church camp and they were married a year later on June 12, 1937 in the West Swamp Mennonite church. Together, they had 5 sons and 2 daughters. Norman attended evening classes at Berean Bible school, Allentown, PA which helped prepare him for his future ministerial duties in Pennsylvania and Minnesota. Norman was born in the same farm house as his mother and loved working the same farm land with his father. Upon the death of his mother in 1959, he began his 2nd career as a carpenter which continued full time and part-time through 1978. In 1964, Norman began his 3rd career as a pastoral minister to the Reinholds Mennonite church congregation, Lancaster County, PA where he served for 13 years. His second ministerial call moved the family to Jackson, MN area where Norman pastored the Alpha Mennonite church congregation. During his tenure, the congregation built a new church facility in Jackson where he completed his ministry in 1988. Upon retirement, Norman and Mianna moved to Mt. Lake, MN where they both volunteered at the Ten Thousand Villages/Care & Share store and served as “parents” to several international MCC volunteers. He assisted in ministry at Bethel Mennonite for a time in Mt. Lake. Summer 1999 saw the couple move to Menno Haven to accommodate Mianna’s advancing Alzheimers until she died March 2010. Norman and Mianna enjoyed traveling across the US and in Europe. Norman was proud of serving on a 1946 cattle boat as a sea-going cowboy, rebuilding a Native American village after the 1965 Alaska earthquake, and several other MDS projects. He also enjoyed reading, woodworking and playing cornet in the family brass quartet.
Norman is survived by four sons, Ladnor and wife Shirley of Chapel Hill, NC, Cordell and wife Mary Kay of Brooktondale, NY, Glenn and wife Arlene of Excelsior, MN, Timothy and wife Anita of Aurora, IL and two daughters, Jewel and husband Eugene Ratzlaff of Hopewell Junction, NY, Tanya and husband Avery Shealey of Seattle, WA; fourteen grandchildren and twenty nine great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews and their children. His youngest sister Esther Miller of Robesonia, PA is his last surviving sibling.
Preceding him in death were his parents, his brothers Paul and Wilmer, sisters Edna and Arlene and son Arlin (at age seven months). A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, May 26, 2018 at the Menno Haven Chapel, 2075 Scotland Avenue, Chambersburg, PA. Chaplain Lori Witmer will be officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Menno Haven Benevolent Fund.
Arrangements are entrusted to Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home and Cremation Center, Chambersburg, PA.
Condolences and memories may be shared on his Book of Memories page at www.geiselfuneralhome.com.