Francis 'Frank' Glaser, 83
Francis "Frank" Glaser age 88 of Evansdale, IA, formerly of New Hampton, IA, died Friday, February 18, 2022, at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Thursday, February 24, 2022, at Holy Family Parish, New Hampton, with Rev. Ken Glaser celebrating the Mass. Interment will be in St. Mary's Cemetery, New Hampton.
Friends may greet the family 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton. Visitation continues an hour prior to Mass at the church on Thursday.
Frank was born on December 12, 1933, to John and Clara (Dockendorf) Glaser in New Hampton and he grew up with his 11 siblings on a farm near North Washington — receiving his education at St. Mary’s School.
Frank was united in marriage to Clarice Holthaus on Sept. 23, 1953, at St. Mary’s Church in New Hampton, and the couple had six children — William, Tom, Brian, Cindy, Chris, and Carol — before the couple later separated.
He worked on the family farm until his marriage, did a few trucking jobs, and worked at Rath Packing, Hydro Tile in Nashua, and Oliver, which later became White Farm, in Charles City before accepting a job at the John Deere Waterloo Works. He worked for John Deere as a machinist, truck driver, and security guard for more than 35 years before he retired in 1998.
The Glaser kids had a father who taught them the value of hard work, something he learned as a child growing up on the farm. He loved taking his kids fishing, and they fondly recall their trips to Lake Michigan where they fished for trout and salmon. But Frank also loved to take his boat to any and all fishing holes, and he also enjoyed deer hunting as well.
He was also proud of his Holstein dairy herd, and each and every cow was registered, and Frank was one of those guys who believed the “work always came first.”
Frank wasn’t the “retiring” type, so after his career at Deere came to an end, he delivered cars for Rydell Chevrolet of Waterloo, often flying to other parts of the country and driving vehicles back to Iowa.
He was the proud — and yes, spoiling — grandfather to 15 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren, and he treasured the time he was able to spend with them.
Later in life, Frank and his special friend, Norma Strom, connected, and how they loved music and dancing — especially polkas and waltzes. One of their favorite memories was going to Medina, Minnesota, for the taping of Molly B’s Polka Show, but they were just as content to dance to their favorite music in the living room.
Frank was a member of Holy Family Parish, the Catholic Order of Foresters, Knights of Columbus, and UAW838 and was a lifetime member of the Good Sam Camping Club and the Polka Club of Iowa Central Chapter.
But as hard as he worked and as active as he was, Frank first and foremost loved the time spent with his family. He enjoyed boating the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan, his fishing talents were superb and he was a graceful and wonderful dancer, but he also was the best storyteller — telling tales about growing up on the farm with his brothers and sisters that held his listeners spellbound, even if they had heard the story before.
This man who worked hard his entire life and touched the lives of so many, but he gave those who knew and loved him many wonderful memories that they will hold dear for years to come.
Frank is survived by four children, William “Gus” Glaser of Pacific Junction, Iowa, Tom (Cindy) Glaser of Gloucester, Virginia, Cindy (Alan) Gilbert of New Hampton, Iowa, and Carol (Philip) Schrage of Marble Rock, Iowa; son-in-law, Curtis Geerts; 15 grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; his siblings, Bernard “Barnie” Glaser of San Francisco, Joseph Glaser of New Hampton, Iowa, Mary Ann (Brian) Valley of Orland Park, Illinois, and Luella (Phil) Jorgensen of Cedar Falls; and special friend, Norma Strom of Evansdale, Iowa.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Clara Glaser; son, Brian Glaser; daughter, Chris Geerts; son-in-law, Gene Aschenbrenner; daughter-in-law, Barb Glaser; brothers, Paul, Donald, Harold, John and Vincent; sisters, Elizabeth Huber and Margaret Zubrod; sisters-in-law, Phyllis Glaser, Lois Glaser, Fran Glaser, Luella Glaser and Rosie Glaser; and brothers-in-law, Dan Huber and Virgil Zubrod; and also Clarice Glaser.
