WAUSAU – Gary Lee Gisselman, a longtime Wausau alderman, Marathon County supervisor and community volunteer, has died.
Wausau Mayor Doug Diny announced Gisselman’s passing in an Aug. 10 statement.
“The time and energy that Gary put into serving the Wausau community over the years is unmatched,” Diny said. “He deserves our gratitude. I know he will be missed by the many, many people he helped during his lifetime of service.”
Gisselman served on the Wausau City Council, on the Marathon County Board, served as chairman of the Wausau Historic Preservation Commission and served on many boards and committees at Zion Lutheran Church, including president of the congregation, served as president of the Pomeranian Club of Central Wisconsin, and he was a board member of the Max Kade Institute with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, preserving the history of German immigrants to the United States, according to Diny’s statement.
Gisselman was passionate and dedicated to local history and preserving it in the Wausau area. According to the mayor’s statement, Gisselman worked at the Marathon County Public Library, and after retirement volunteered with the Marathon County Historical Society Library. He was interested in the German settlers in the county. He traveled on several “roots tours” to Naugard County in the former German Providence of Pomerania, where his mother’s family was from, as well.
In March 2024, Gisselman shared more with a Wausau Daily Herald reporter during his campaign for Marathon County District 5 supervisor. He served on the Wausau City Council from 2006 to 2020, and he served on the Marathon County Board from 2006 to 2014. He served on both Wausau City Council and Marathon County Board again from 2022 until the time of his death.
Gisselman had a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, as well as master’s degrees in history and library science from UW-Oshkosh and UW-Madison, respectively, he said.
He told the Wausau Daily Herald reporter he wanted to keep serving his community.
Contact Caitlin at cshuda@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @CaitlinShuda.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Gary Gisselman, longtime public servant and Wausau area volunteer, has died
Reporting by Caitlin Shuda, Wausau Daily Herald / Wausau Daily Herald
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