Robert Giese

1944 - 2020

Robert Giese, 76, of Bluffton, SC, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, surrounded by his loving family.

Bob was born on June 28, 1944, in Kenosha, WI. He graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1962 and attended Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, where he earned a degree in Industrial Design. Bob worked until his retirement at Renquist Associates in Racine, WI, where he designed everything from hair dryers to large-scale mining vehicles.

On June 3, 1967, Bob married Jinine Ramacci. They lived in Kenosha until their retirement, when they moved to Sun City Hilton Head in Bluffton.

Bob's second love (after his wife and children) was cars. Driving cars, drawing cars, reading about cars, cleaning cars for hours and watching cars race. He spent many weekends at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Great Lakes Dragaway, and Indianapolis for the Indy 500 time trials. He owned Corvairs, Fiats, BMWs, Audis, Volkswagens, Mercedes and perhaps his favorite: a black 1981 Porsche 911SC. His family grew up with the constant sound of auto racing on the television.

Bob was known for his quick wit, which kept his family laughing despite the challenge of Parkinson's disease. He was also known for his devotion to modern design, an aesthetic that was both ahead of its time and inspiring to his children in their careers and homes.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Lee and Wanda Giese. He will be remembered by his wife Jinine, his daughter Kirsten (Brian) Halloran of Minneapolis, MN, and his son, Ryan, of New York, NY. He will be missed by his grandsons, Declan and Liam Halloran.

Bob is survived by his sister Linda (Michael) Strunk, niece Jennifer Santelli and nephew Jeff Strunk. He is also survived by sister- and brother-in-laws Jill and Chris Bacus, Jim and Sally Fumo, and Susan Decker, as well as nieces and nephews Nathaniel, Emily, Allison and Nick.

A memorial for Bob will be held in Kenosha at a later date.

Memorial donations will be given to earth angel Faye Crawford, Bob's loyal caregiver and an integral part of the Giese family. Send in care of Jinine Giese, P.O. Box 3193, Bluffton, SC, 29910.