Uwe Werner Wilfried Giese, 95, was born in Hamburg, Germany, on May 6, 1929, to Paul Giese and Wilma Fuchs Giese and died in Morehead, Kentucky, on July 20, 2024.

He is survived by Ute Giese, his wife of 73 years, seven sons and two daughters and their spouses, 19 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and one sister, Maleen Hake of Germany. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother Dierk Giese of British Columbia, Canada.

Uwe grew up in Germany during the second world war. After the war he went to agricultural school for two years. Uwe enjoyed working the land and dreamed of one day having a farm of his own. In 1950 he married Ute Fuhrmann in Hamburg and had their firstborn son, Heiko.

In 1951 he immigrated to Tennessee and worked for $2 a day. Next move was to Colorado where the next four of their children were born, Maud, Peter, Rebecca, and Markus.

In 1952, another life-changing event happened. Even though he had been raised as an atheist, he always wondered about the purpose of life. One day, one of Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on his door and showed him from the Bible the answer to his questions about life. He became a diligent Bible student, learning about his Creator Jehovah, and adjusted his life to live in harmony with God's standards. He dedicated his life to Jehovah God and was baptized in 1954.

Uwe moved his growing family to Maine in November 1958 and was finally able to buy the farm he had always wanted. In Maine, four more children were born, Reuben, Manoah, Michael, and Matthew. In addition to working the farm, he also worked full-time in construction. In 1970, he moved with his family to Morehead, Kentucky, where he lived until his death.

Uwe was known in Morehead and the surrounding area as an expert carpenter and builder. His honesty, hard work, attention to detail, and not cutting corners became his trademarks.

He took seriously his privilege to preach the good news of God's Kingdom locally with the Morehead congregation, and always gave it priority.  In his 70 years as one of Jehovah's Witnesses he studied the Bible with countless individuals teaching them about their Creator so they also could draw close to Him, just as he had. He was actively involved in this activity right up to his death.

Uwe served as an elder in the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. He also volunteered his construction skills, traveling at his own expense, to help build approximately 170 Kingdom Halls throughout Kentucky. Also he worked on a missionary home and branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses in Panama, and he assisted with hurricane disaster relief in Puerto Rico in 1999.

In his quiet, humble, unassuming way of worshipping his God and living his life for the good of others, Uwe became dearly loved and greatly respected by many around the earth, whose lives were influenced by his. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. August 17, 2024, at Morehead State University, Adron Doran University Center (Room 335) 205 E. Second Street, Morehead, KY 40351

Northcutt & Son Home for Funerals, 400 Fraley Drive, Morehead, KY 40351 is assisting the Giese family.

View or sign guestbook at www.northcuttandson.com