Joseph Giesler

Founding Quartz Hill High School Band Director, Joseph (Joe) Lester Giesler, 85, passed away peacefully in Lancaster, California on Saturday, January 28, 2017. His wife and family were by his side.

Joe was born on June 8, 1931 in Laramie, Wyoming to parents Norbert and Marion Giesler. He attended Laramie High School, and later graduated from the University of Wyoming where he met his future bride Naomi Massey. Joe and Naomi were married in 1953 and soon were busy raising their family while he began his teaching career in numerous small towns throughout Wyoming.

Joe and Naomi moved their young family from Cheyenne, Wyoming to the Antelope Valley in 1964 to take a teaching job at Quartz Hill High School. He began teaching the first music classes that fall at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, as the high school was still under construction. In addition to starting the band program, Joe wrote the original lyrics to the QHHS Alma Mater which are still being sung today. Under Joe’s direction, the band grew in size and won numerous awards through the years. During his 30 years of teaching at QHHS he was also a member of the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association serving as an officer and parade adjudicator. Although he retired from QHHS in 1992, he continued his passion for music and serving the community through an Instrument Repair Business he owned for over 15 years. He was recently honored by QHHS with The Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015.

Joe is survived by his wife of 63 years, Naomi, 4 of his 6 children, Larry, Kathy, Tom and Mary, 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, children Don and Jodie and infant granddaughter Mindy.