Becky Jo Giesler

1978 - 2025

News story
By Mike Sigov
Blade staff writer

ELMORE, Ohio - Becky Jo Giesler, who homeschooled her three children and advocated for abused and neglected children and injured wildlife, died Thursday in her Elmore home. She was 46.

She died after a 10-month battle with Glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, her husband of 22 years, Matt Giesler, said.

"She was the most compassionate person that I think I have ever met, or maybe ever will meet," said Jamie Forbush, education director at Nature's Nursery, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Waterville, where Mrs. Giesler volunteered.

The most important thing in her life was motherhood, Mr. Giesler said, noting that she had homeschooled their three children, aged 16, 18, and 20, through high school and hadn't begun to volunteer until her youngest child was about 11 years old.

"She read to them, she introduced music into their lives, and reading, at a very young age, and she cooked really good meals, and … she was diligent at teaching them responsibilities and the value of of working and the joy of accomplishment."

As for her volunteering, she first became a CASA - a court-appointed special advocate - representing the best interests of children in abuse and neglect cases in Sandusky and Seneca counties, which she did for 5 years, until nearly the time of death. Most recently, for about three years, she had also volunteered at Nature's Nursery, helping take care of the animals.

"She wanted to be a voice for kids because she herself had kind of a rough childhood at times," Mr. Giesler said. "This could be emotionally taxing at times, so she also decided to volunteer at Nature's Nursery, which became her happy place."

Ms. Forbush said Mrs. Giesler had spent a lot of time interacting with the animals to figure out "what things they liked and what they didn't like, in order to make life as good as possible" for them.

She had particularly improved the life of vultures at the facility, Ms. Forbush said.

"She really was very passionate about our vultures and she spent a lot of time working with them, because they're not the easiest animal to work with," she said. "She made sure that they were cared for absolutely in the best way they could be.

"She truly cared so much about the animals and making sure that they had everything they need, including food," Ms. Forbush added, noting that Mrs. Giesler had helped start a garden where Nature's Nursery grows produce.

Mrs. Giesler also volunteered as an advisor for the Ribbon Wranglers, a 4-H club of Sandusky County, which she had helped establish.

Born Dec. 16, 1978, in Toledo, to Robin and John Evans, she graduated in 1997 from Springfield High School and later owned and operated a cleaning business for a time.

In her free time, she practiced Tae Kwon Do and qualified for a black belt in April, following her recovery from a surgery in November, her husband said.

She also liked to take care of horses and dairy goats at her husband's family farm, where they settled once they were married.

Additionally, Mrs. Giesler enjoyed birdwatching, gardening, photography, and soapmaking.

She was a member of United Church of God, Toledo.

Along with her husband, Matt Giesler, surviving are her daughter, Gabrielle Giesler; sons, Dylan and Nathanial Giesler; mother Robin Evans; father, John Evans; brother, Jacob Evans; grandfather, Joseph Pfaff; half brother, Colin Evans; half sister, Angela Evans; and stepbrother, Sam Kralovic.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at Crosser & Priesman Funeral Home in Elmore.

Additional visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday at Ole Zim's Wagon Shed, Gibsonburg, Ohio, where services will immediately follow at 11 a.m.

The family suggests tributes to CASA of Sandusky/Seneca County, Nature's Nursery in Waterville, or United Church of God, Toledo.