John Wayne Geske, 58, of Thief River Falls died on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at his residence with his loving family by his side.

The service to celebrate John’s life will be held at 11 AM Thursday, August 6, 2026, at Johnson Funeral Service, in Thief River Falls, MN.

Visitation will be from 10 to 11 AM at Johnson Funeral Service, Thief River Falls, MN.

Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery, rural St. Hilaire, MN.

John was born on January 28, 1968, to Arnold and Linda (Bursheim) Geske. John attended St. Hilarie Elementary School, Knox Elementary School, Franklin Middle School, and he graduated from Lincoln High School in 1986. After high school, John attended the Northland Technical and Community College in East Grand Forks, MN to be a truck driver.

John drove for several companies over the years including Paradis’ INC. and for the last several years he has been an owner operator with Hartz Truckline in Thief River Falls. When John was not driving a truck, you could often find him helping local farmers. John loved helping area farmers and appreciated the great friendships that he made.

On September 4, 2010, John was united in marriage to Melanie Dawn (Carr) Moody, they later divorced. John lived in Mounds View, MN and Becker, MN and relocated back to Thief River Falls in 2021. Some of John’s great joys were the birth of his son, Cory in 1993, and his grandson, Jason in 2011.

John married Barb Audette on July 22, 2026.

John is preceded in death by his parents, his grandparents John and Edna Geske, Leonard Bursheim, and Albert and Opal Bjella. His sister-in-law, Laura Geske, his nephew, Joshua Geske and his niece Joy Geske; mother-in-law: Beverly Jean Audette, brother-in-law: infant David Audette.

John is survived by his wife, Barb, his son, Cory Geske and his grandson Jason Geske of Thief River Falls; stepchildren: Breandun Davide Asp and Chandler (Kayla) Asp and their children Skye and Mason Asp. He is also survived by his brother Mike Geske of Thief River Falls, and Rev. Jeffrey Geske of Thrall, TX; father-in-law: Richard (Heidi) Audette; siblings-in-law: Randy (Michele) Audette, Robert (Jennifer) Audette, Rodney Audette, Ronald (Kristi) Audette, and Brenda (Brent) Johnson. He is also survived by his first marriage: Jordan (Stephanie) Carr, and Noah (Lyric) Moody, and their children. In addition, he is survived by many nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

The family would like to thank everyone who helped John as he journeyed through his health challenges.