Angeline Geiger

Angeline “Angie, Auntie Ang” Geiger, 83, Bismarck, formerly of McKenzie, passed away on January 13, 2025 with her family at her side, praying her home. 

Cremation has taken place.  Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 PM, Thursday, January 23 at Bismarck Funeral Home 3723 Lockport Street. A rosary/vigil will begin at 7:00 PM. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:00 AM, Friday, January 24 at Corpus Christi 1919 North Second Street, Bismarck. Burial will be held at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery 1825 46th Street, Mandan.  To view the livestream of the service, go to https://www.youtube.com/@CorpusBismarck/streams

Angie was born at home June 21, 1941, to Pius and Juliana (Schmidt) Reis, of Kintyre, ND. She attended school there until her senior year of high school. She graduated from Bismarck St. Mary’s, where later she and her husband, Ed would send all their six children, be avid members of the Booster Club, and could be seen (and heard) at every child and grandchild’s event, and most football games no matter who was playing - for over 40 years. 

Angie met Ed as a child when his family was visiting her family. She was so shy she hid in her mother’s skirts. Years later, they met again and married July 12, 1961. Angie moved to the Geiger family farm in McKenzie where Grandma Geiger taught her to cook because of how her first batch of pancakes turned out - which Ed said could be used as spare tires. Grandma Geiger was one heck of a teacher because Angie became one hell of a cook and baker - known far and wide for her infinite supply of cookies, homemade bread made from the organic wheat flour grown on the farm, special occasion buns, and a recipe for coleslaw that drove one of her nephews to make a 700 mile motorcycle trip just for the taste of it. Her potato salad, cucumber salad, and chicken and dumplings would bring you to your knees, and her apple pie was so good Ed would say he wasn’t sure why any of the other ladies would even submit an entry to any of the pie socials at McKenzie Elementary School or the bake sales at the St. Hildegard’s Annual Fall Dinner. However, she never did accept praise for that apple pie, always giving credit to her teacher and mother-in-law, Christine Geiger.

Throughout her life, Angie worked as a farm wife, mom, and later as a self-described “freelance domestic,” caring for those with no family. Just out of high school, she did work for one year for the state of North Dakota. However, Angie was as real as real gets, and she never did forgive the women she worked with for being so dang catty.

Life on the farm was filled with tending her 30’ x 70’ garden, canning and preserving - taking suppers to the field where the family was working 12-14 hour days - suppers filled with laughter and exhausted satisfaction. Farm life was that Mother’s Day wasn’t for getting flowers, it was for planting potatoes. It was the Oster Hase - German for Easter Bunny - who, by the way, continued to find the local kids and grandkids every year, no matter how old they got. 60 year olds love Easter baskets from the Oster Hase, too.

When Angie and Ed retired from the farm and he went to work on the road, Angie became her own plumber and electrician, and she would say she was not too shabby at both. She enjoyed watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, bowling, crosswords and embroidery. She continued to garden, generously sharing with everyone. Every visit to her house was a fuss until you were fed and happy. Her door was always open, as was her well stocked freezer, and the coffee was always on. She happily and gratefully hosted many family members in need of a short term stay.

God paid Angie back for all of this when she was reunited late in life with her first born son whom his adopted family named Joseph Edward. We call him Big Joe, our Bonus Brother. To get the full picture and hear the whole story, you have to ask one of us in person to see the light in our eyes when we tell you how this reunion set our mother free. We are eternally grateful.

There are many loved ones welcoming Angie to heaven - her husband Ed; daughter- in- law Kristin; parents, Julia and Pius, and great grandson, Thomas. Also waiting for her are her siblings, Helen (Pete), Eva (Tony) Peter (Rose), Sebastian (Lorraine), Barbara (Victor), Clara (John), Theresa (Jack), Caroline (Karl), Madge (Al), and Pius Junior, and her many brothers and sisters in law and their spouses from Ed’s family and all of Big Joe’s extended family, especially his adopted mother, Kathleen. In heaven there may not be any beer, but now that Angie has arrived, there will definitely be some cookies - and red eye, too. 

Angie is survived by her sister, Alvera (Tony); sisters- in- law Fran, Helen and Jane; her children, Big Joe (Janessa), Ed (Kristin, now in heaven), Joe (Stephanie), Pat (Hillary), Mike (Lori), Maureen, Jane (Corey); her grandchildren, Christopher, Andrew, Madison, Jenna, Christina, James, Lucas, Olivia, Elizabeth, Sam, Julia, Max, Kelsey, Savannah, Baileigh, Liam, Noah, Eden, Isaiah, Sophia, and her great grandchildren Evelyn, Maci, Mariah, Mavrick, Marin, Deegan, Grayson, Carter, Michael, Christopher, Carmen, Hannah and grandbaby G due in April. 

We love you Mom ~ a million thank you’s will never be enough