Rev. Giesler

The Rev. John H. Giesler, 87, of Winston-Salem, passed into our Lord's more immediate presence on June 7, 2018, at the Salemtowne Retirement Community in Winston-Salem. He was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin on April 3, 1931, to the late Laura Louise (Dickey) and Carl Giesler. He was the husband of Barbara L. (Gordon) Giesler for 61 years. He was a graduate of Moravian College and Theological Seminary where he was most known for his work in directing the Men's Glee Club. He and his wife served as missionaries in Nicaragua for 11 years followed by pastorates at the Friedberg, King, and Bethabara Moravian congregations in the Winston-Salem area, and he was the founding pastor of the New Hope Moravian congregation in Miami, Florida. In his retirement he served the Willow Hill Moravian congregation in Virginia. In addition to his pastoral work, he was an active supporter of the Moravian Music Foundation where he was a past-president of the Board of Trustees, a member of the Moramus Chorale, and a regular attender of many Moravian Music Festivals. He was also an active member and past-president of the Hymn Society of America. He had a great passion for serving the Moravian Church with a deep interest in its history and musical expression. He was a member of the committee that published the 1995 Moravian Book of Worship. He and his wife enjoyed taking hundreds of interested Moravians on tours to historical Moravian sites all over the United States and Europe. He was a member of the Fairview Moravian Church where he sang in the choir and played his trombone in the band. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by 5 siblings and a daughter, Becky Morgan. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Debby Pyatt (Tim) of Winston-Salem and Cindy Meier (David) of Atlanta, GA; and son, the Rt. Rev. Chris Giesler (Tina) of Bethlehem, PA. He is also survived by 8 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren; 1 sister, Ann LaFortune of Fargo, ND; a son-in-law, Derrick Morgan of Charlotte, NC; and a cousin, Frances Huetter of Winston-Salem, NC. A service to celebrate his life and the grace of God will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. in the Fairview Moravian Church. The family will receive friends on Friday, June 15, 2018, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Salemtowne Retirement Community in the Amos Room of the Babcock Building, and again at the Fairview Moravian Church from 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Saturday prior to the worship service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Moravian Board of World Mission (PO Box 1245, Bethlehem, PA 18016), or the Moravian Music Foundation (457 South Church St. Winston-Salem, NC 27101). Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel is assisting the family of Rev. Giesler.

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