Michael R. Liesch

Michael R. Liesch of Waterloo died Saturday December 30, 2017 at Bartels’ Lutheran Home in Waverly due to complications from pneumonia contracted shortly before Christmas. Interment of his ashes will be at Memorial Park Cemetery in Storm Lake, Iowa on Saturday January 6 at 2:00pm, preceded by a short memorial at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Alta, Iowa at 1:00. Mike was born on October 3, 1931 in Mitchell, South Dakota, the son of Robert and Ann Liesch. Having been born on the open plains, Mike’s earliest childhood memories were hunting with his father. Being raised in the heart of Indian Territory, Mike also developed an early interest in Western lore and the history of firearms. After graduating from Westview High School in Lake City, Iowa and briefly attending The University of Iowa to study pharmacy, Mike began a 30-year Naval career as a Corpsman in 1951. During the Korean War Mike was attached to a Marine unit where he won the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat, together with numerous other awards. Mike was successfully qualified in many areas during his naval career including Underwater Demolition Training. On November 8, 1951 Michael married Delores V. Suling of Galva, Iowa while on leave from the Navy. They had met at the University of Iowa where Sue (as her friends knew her) had obtained a degree in nursing. During a 43-year marriage they lived in Baltimore, Iowa City, and eventually Waterloo. Mike’s fulltime career included work as a Supervising Operating Room Technician and later as an Administrator of numerous Blood Bank operations within the American Red Cross and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Mike’s tremendous knowledge of guns and his mechanical/technical skills gained during his youth and in the Navy also provided him with a loyal following of clients during his 40-year secondary career as an expert gunsmith and antiques firearms restorer. He retired in 1995 and continued to travel and pursue his antique firearms collection hobby until his recent health problems. Mike is survived by two sons Aaron Liesch of The Woodlands, Texas and Kurt Liesch of Waterloo, Iowa; a daughter-in-law, Joyce Liesch; two granddaughters, Krista and Melissa Liesch; a sister, Patricia Clow of Lake City, Iowa; a brother-in-law, Virgil Suling of Eldon, Missouri; and a sister-in-law, Norma Jean Huseman of Anchorage, Alaska. Mike was preceded in death by his wife Delores (Sue) Liesch in 1995.

Michael R. Liesch

October 3, 1931 - December 30, 2017