Mr. Karl H. Giese, age 88, died Saturday, December 22, 2007. He was born in Philadelphia on April 6, 1919 to Herman and Bertha (Weirauch) Giese. When Karl was a young boy, his family moved to Detroit in search of employment. After they had settled, the family began to take small vacation trips to view different areas in Michigan. They would get out the map, close their eyes, and point to a location on the map. If time and resources allowed the family would travel there to see it. It was on a trip to western Michigan that they had come to the Silver Lake sand dunes. They returned there for several vacations, staying in the Silver Lake State Park, in what Karl had remembered as a tent camper that his father had made from plans seen in the Popular Mechanics Magazine. Leading up to the war, many pressures were placed upon young Karl, now working as a tool and die maker and machinist for Chrysler in Detroit. He had seven men under him working to develop the automatic transmission that was to be used by the military in tank production. As time progressed, the family so enjoyed Silver Lake, they purchased some property and began to build a summer home there. Karl had learned how to build homes and decided to purchase the property adjoining his parents and build a summer home for himself. The pressures of job and city living were taking a toll on Karl and he decided to live at Silver Lake permanently. He also had built a woodworking shop at his home, and with the assistance of his father, Karl got contracts to build small items, such as cherry pit removers and wiener roasting sticks, used in the nearby campgrounds. He also had made some furniture items. Karl's sister Dorothy Lewis had settled just down the road and Karl would lend a hand to Dorothy at the campground that she operated. Karl had eventually moved in with Dorothy until the time of her death in 1992. Following the death of Karl's brother in law, his sister Alberta McAllister moved from Florida and became his caregiver. Following Alberta's death in 2007, Karl became a resident at the Oceana County Medical Care Facility. Karl is survived by a sister in law, Joann Erdman of Mears, nieces and nephews, Robert Giese and Shirley Giese, both of Mears, Karen Ervin of North Muskegon and Dan Giese of San Diego, CA. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Eugene Giese in 1980 and his sisters, Dorothy Lewis in 1992 and Alberta McAllister in 2007. The Funeral Service for Karl will be held Friday, December 28, 2007 at 2:00 PM from the Tate-King Funeral Home with the Rev. Ken Vanderlaan officiating. Interment in the Mears Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be given to the Mears Historical Society.