David Geihsler, age 79, passed away on April 15, 2017. He was a resident of Colorado Springs for 49 years, and was formerly a resident of Bishop, Texas, and New York, New York.
On August 8, 1937, Dave was born to Alfred Geihsler and Elsa (Inselmann) Geihsler, in the front bedroom of the teacherage in Concordia, Texas. The local doctor, after sleeping in his car in front of the house the night before, helped to bring him into the arms of his family.
In 1958, inspired by an ad on the back of a matchbook, Dave hopped on a bus to Kansas City to train for a career in the airline industry. He worked at Idlewild Airport in New York City for nearly two years.
Dave graduated Texas A&I with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1965. He then completed OTS and intelligence school and served in the Air Force as an intelligence officer from 1966 to 1970.
In 1966, after volunteering for service in Vietnam, he met the love of his life, Mary Birnbaum. They were married on December 29, 1967 in Denver, Colorado, upon his return from a year-long deployment at Phu Cat AFB in Vietnam.
Dave worked as a chemist for the Colorado Springs Water Department for 25 years until he retired in 1995. He spent his retirement doing things he enjoyed, including spending time with his family and traveling with Mary. He was also fond of opera, politics and history, the Denver Broncos, and New York City.
He is survived by his loving wife, Mary; his children: Bret, Shawn, and Greg; and his granddaughters: Anna, Olivia and Sarina. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jim.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 21, at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 2226 North Corona Street, Colorado Springs.
Memorials in Dave’s name may be made to Ecumenical Social Ministries (ecusocmin.org) or the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (crohnscolitisfoundation.org).