Gary “Grease Monkey” Pfohl

Gary “Grease Monkey, Harvey, Papa, Pops” Pfohl of Dubuque, IA passed on to another adventure on Tuesday, July 30th, 2024, surrounded by his loud and loving family after a long and hard-fought battle with cancer. 

Gary was born to Delbert and Helen (Winders) Pfohl on January 21st, 1951. He attended Dubuque Senior High School, begrudgingly, and entered the workforce early in life. Gary briefly worked at NAPA Auto Parts, then moved on to be an auto mechanic at Herbst Auto Service for a majority of his working life. Gary was well-known to be an outstanding mechanic who could fix anything. He was a “jack of all trades” and a master of all! He enjoyed woodworking as well, and continuously had several friends ask him to help in the building and renovating of their homes and businesses. When Gary was ready for something new, he moved on to work at J & J Tree Service, as well as J & J Pool, Spa, & Billiards. Between then and full retirement, he was found bartending and providing maintenance for various local places when they needed an extra hand. Gary had a hard time sitting still, and even up until the end, he was visually and audibly fixing things and servicing vehicles in his sleep.

In 1971, Gary married LuAnn Noel and had three perfect-ish daughters. Their first glimpse at perfection was Brenda (Jeremy) Duvel. Brenda brought two beautiful blessings into Gary’s life, Ryan (Courtney Westphal) Konrardy and Elizabeth “Lizzy” Konrardy. Next came the cliché middle child, Kelly “Tunie” (Jeremy-not the same one as Brenda) Giesemann. Tunie blessed Gary with three grandkids over the course of three decades, Alidia Mickelson, Kyrah Pfohl, and the most recent joy, Knox Giesemann. Finally, Gary and LuAnn had their third child, Julie Pfohl, who continues to be their favorite despite her moving over a thousand miles away. They later divorced but continued to partner together in trying to manage their adult daughters.

Gary met Teresa (Delaney) Pfohl in August of 2001 and began another wonderful chapter of his life. Teresa and Gary loved to spend as much time together as possible, and even took joy in coordinating their outfits, which his family lovingly enjoyed mocking. They had a wonderful time going on road cruises until they would get lost, although Teresa always knew her Mister Man would find their way home. On many of those cruises, they would seek out waterfalls, which Gary thoroughly enjoyed watching, as in a sense, he was always chasing them…the metaphor fits. Gary and Teresa also cherished spending some time during the winter in Florida, by Julie, where the drinking establishments flourished in their presence. Gary and Teresa were married June 28, 2016 and continued to love having their time together.

Gary was known to live life his own way. While his earlier years included more dangerous activities, such as driving a vehicle across the Mississippi River during a winter day, his later years included more peaceful, but fulfilling ventures. Over the years, Gary was an active member in the Dubuque Boat Club and the Loyal Order of the Moose. Gary very much enjoyed taking rides by the river in a quest to find bald eagles, and one time relished in the fact that he and Teresa counted over 300 by Frentress Lake. He also was a great baker, largely due to the fact that he had a monstrous sweet tooth and would bake another batch of cookies, despite the fact that he already had a counter full of other cookies. While Teresa was more of the cook, he was even able to teach her a few new recipes. You could also often catch Gary singing his favorite tunes at many establishments, where everyone there would beg him to sing his classic “Elvis” songs. Gary also always cherished his times camping with all of his campground buddies. Many would come to his campfire to have a cocktail and hear the endless “Gary” jokes, as his mission was always to make everyone laugh and have a good time. He guaranteed that good time when he would break out his guitar and gut bucket to have some good ol’ singalongs around the fire.

Above all, Gary was far more caring than it may have seemed. What we really want people to remember is that he would help anyone at a drop of a hat. There were countless times when he would drop what he was doing to help a person in need; and many times, that person was a complete stranger. Whether it was helping them with their car, or helping them move something, he was wanting to help. His caring was most exemplified by the way he welcomed far more than his three girls into his home. It is a well-known fact that the magnet on the refrigerator that read “This is the home to 3 beautiful girls” would change to 4, then 5, and so on, as he loved and cared for so many of his daughter’s misfit friends and always made them know that they were welcome and safe in his home as well. Gary would be so patient with all of the girls taking over his house, but that may have contributed to why he spent so much time working in the garage.

In addition to his fun-filled family, other people left to carry on his memories are his sister Juanita (Don) Herbst, his brother Paul (Susan) Pfohl, his sister-in-law Nancy Pfohl, and their families. He also left behind six sisters-in-law: Jeri Jahries, Katie Wolbers, Jeannie Kerr, Sue Donley, Doris Dawson, and Mary Ingle and their families. 

Gary was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Richard Pfohl, as well as two sisters-in-law: Patricia Delaney and Connie Maiers, and three brothers-in-law: Joe Delaney, James Delaney, and John Delaney.         

The family would like to express their gratitude to all of the wonderful healthcare professionals at the Intensive Care Unit, as well as the Cardiovascular Unit at MercyOne Hospital in Dubuque. The care that Gary and his family received during his final days was very supportive and exceptional.

Per Gary’s wishes, a party for his life will take place at the Dubuque Moose Lodge 355 on Sunday, August 25^th. Family and friends may stop by anytime between 2 and 8 pm. A short dedication to Gary will occur at 5 pm, followed by some karaoke and dancing. The family is grateful for Tri-State Cremation Center for their help in coordinating Gary’s after-life care.

Online condolences for Gary’s family may be left at www.tristatecremationcenter.com