CIRCLEVILLE- Clifton Monroe "Bud" Geis, 97, of Circleville, KS passed away Friday, May 29, 2009, at a care facility in Topeka.
He was born Aug. 30, 1911, at Durham, KS the son of Solomon and Charlotte Beltz Geis. He graduated from Durham High School in 1929. He served in the US Army during WW II fighting both in the Battle of the Bulge in Germany and also the final battle of the war in the Pacific.
Bud began working at the Farmer's State Bank at Circleville in 1945, eventually becoming Chairman of the Board. He had worked at Meschke's Clothing Store in Hutchinson, played semi-pro professional baseball even playing against Satchel Page. He was an owner of Johnson and Geis Insurance in Circleville. He was instrumental in the formation of the Jackson Heights School District. Bud was a member of the Circleville Christian Church and served on the board of Manhattan Christian College. He was a 32nd degree Mason at the Circleville Masonic Lodge and a member of the Grand Lodge. He was a member of the AAONMS Arab Shrine Temple in Topeka in 1982 he was named outstanding Mason in the M.W. Grand Lodge A.F. & A. M. of Kansas.
In honor of Bud, the Circleville Recreational Club named the baseball field, Geis Field, on Sept. 27, 2003. In 2006 he was inducted into the Jackson County/ Holton Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame. The past spring he was honored by Jackson Heights High School for his role in establishing a college endowment that has awarded over 150 scholarships.
He married Virginia Verle Johnson, on Jan. 1, 1942, at Circleville. She died on Oct. 28, 2006. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Irwin Geis, on March 8, 1993, and a sister, Frances Geis Caywood, on Aug. 3, 2001.
Survivors include three sons, Clif Geis, and Dick Geis, and his wife Gina, all of Topeka, and Bill Geis, and his wife, Kathy, Shawnee, KS; eight grandchildren, Sally Smart, and her husband, Matthew, Josh Wilson, Erik Geis, Cameron Geis, Jordan Geis, Matthew Geis, Hannah Geis and Alex Geis; four great-grandchildren, Micah, Andrew, Hannah and Jacob. Bud was a blessing to his faith and his community. He will be missed by the countless students and young people he supported, the innumerable friends he cherished and the family members whom he loved and honored.
The funeral service will be 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at the Circleville Christian Church. Burial will be at the Circleville Cemetery with Masonic and Military Honors. Visitation will be from 4:30-7:00 p.m., today (Sunday), at Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. Memorial contributions may be given to the Bud Geis Educational Fund c/o Mercer Funeral Home, PO Box 270, Holton, KS 66436.