John Garfield Bauernfeind

John Garfield Bauernfeind, age 80, passed away peacefully with his wife by his side on Sunday, November 16, 2025 in Albert Lea. A memorial service will be held at 11am on Friday, November 21, 2025 at the Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home in Albert Lea. A visitation will be held an hour prior to the service. Pastor Kent Otterman will be officiating.

John was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 11, 1945 to Burton and Marjorie Bauernfeind. John was a graduate of Edina High School and in 1967 graduated from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. In 1969, he joined Prudential Insurance Company after spending a year selling radio advertising. During his 25 years with Prudential, he was in both personal production and Agency management. He was most proud of the young men and women he recruited and trained to have successful careers.

Through Prudential, in 1981, John met and married Jackie Geesman. During these years, John managed to check a few things of his “Bucket List”, including running a marathon and getting his private pilot’s license. He was a lover of cars, watches, fountain pens and shoes, but mostly of dogs. He didn’t always know the owner’s but always remembered the dog’s.

In 1994, John and Jackie moved to Peoria, Arizona, leaving behind the cold Midwest winters and assisting his aging parents. There they started Midwest Painters, painting for friends and neighbors in their community. Owning their own business afforded them the time to travel, including John’s white-water rafting trip to Chile and a trip to the Galapagos Islands. Many happy memories were made on trips to Europe and cruises with friends. Golf became a big part of John’s life, but after retiring in 2008, pickleball became his new obsession. He and Lillie, his Maltese dog, made many friends at the pickleball courts. In 2010, John and Jackie purchased a condo in Albert Lea to escape the Arizona Summers and to be near Jackie’s family.

John is survived by his wife, Jackie; sister, Gaia Brown (Lloyd Rogers), brother-in-law, Gary (Angie) Geesman; nephews and nieces, Geoff Cox (Kim House), Shane (Jennifer) Brown, Katherine Brown, Bobby (Kaycee) Geesman, Tommy (Lindsay) Geesman, Mallory (Andrew) DeJong and numerous great-nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister Judith Cox; in-laws Bill and Barb Geesman.

For every season of their marriage, John gave Jackie unwavering love and the simple, priceless gift of laughter, and to her that was everything she ever needed.

Thank you for the loving care given to John at Prairie Senior Cottages and by St. Croix Hospice. Memorials preferred to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

The service will be live-streamed and can be watched below, or from the following link: https://youtube.com/live/bvsPIryQ_pE?feature=share