Obituary of Gannon K Zaiser

Gannon Keith Zaiser, 35, of Tucson, Arizona, died suddenly September 14, 2020. Gannon was born October 18, 1984 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Kerrie Sue Elliott and William Brechler Zaiser. He graduated from Iowa City High School in 2003 and the University of Iowa in 2010. Shortly after graduating from the University of Iowa Gannon moved to Tucson, attended the University of Arizona for a time, volunteered at UMC Hospital Tucson, and began working as a writer and researcher for online entities such as Arizona Pest Control. He wrote about all kinds of bugs and small animals for online publication. His jaunty style of writing was popular with readers and his employers, and chances are a Google search for any kind of insect will yield Gannon’s work. Gannon very much enjoyed this employment, which is perhaps an indication of the unique and distinctive fellow he was. Gannon was a thoughtful man. He was not one to let the tough parts of life bother him, and he spent time helping his mother develop this skill. He was very accepting of things as they are, had a wonderful sense of humor, and could do comedic impressions. In his younger days he was well known for his spot-on impersonation of Ace Ventura. Gannon also enjoyed reading and particularly liked to read about philosophy and psychology. He was a talented swimmer; and also travelled well, having visited Costa Rica with his Spanish class, Rome, Italy with friends, and London, England with his mom. Gannon was always ready to lend a helping hand to others. Once, having never run a chainsaw before, he offered and succeeded in helping his stepdad cut up a downed tree; and also chipped in to lay concrete, despite having no experience with this kind of job. Gannon did things like that. He was also a sensitive soul who had a soft spot for his fellow man who chose a different path, were misunderstood, judged harshly, shunned, or in need of a second chance. Since he had experience with some of these things, he did what he could to support others in these circumstances. Gannon is survived by his mother, Kerrie and stepfather Richard Miller of Cosgrove Iowa; father Breck and stepmother Jean Zaiser of Miami, Florida; and a large extended family. Gannon will be greeted on the other side by his grandmother Mary Jane Griswold; grandfathers Frank Elliott, and Jerry Zaiser; great-grandparents Larry and Sue Griswold and Herman and Dorothy Wehmeyer; and great-grandmother Bernice Irene Schlutz. His beloved dog Niko will also be there to cover him with kisses. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 pm on Thursday, September 24th at the Gay and Ciha Funeral Home, 2720 Muscatine Ave., Iowa City, Iowa. Graveside Services officiated by Pastor Randy Harker will be held at 3pm Friday, September 25th. at the Unity Cemetery, Jasper Avenue, Union township, (near Cosgrove), Johnson County, Iowa. Those wishing to donate a memorial can do so to the Iowa City Community Food Bank, 1121 Gilbert Ct., Iowa City, IA 52240. Therefore, you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you. John 16:22 “Social distancing standards will be in place along with the expectation of all in attendance will be expected to wear a mask. If you arrive without one will be provided to you by the funeral home. Thank you for supporting Gannon’s family with your presence and being conscientious in doing so.”