Gregory "Greg" Dean Giltner

Gregory “Greg” Dean Giltner, age 75, of Albia, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, at his home, surrounded by his loved ones, under the care of Care Initiatives Hospice. Greg was born July 5, 1948, in Albia, IA, to Frank Dean and Jean Elizabeth (McElroy) Giltner. He attended high school at Ottumwa High and later received his GED at Indian Hills Community College. On March 24, 1968, he married the love of his life, Pamela Kay Nichols, at the Jefferson Iowa Gospel Church in Jefferson, IA. Greg and Pam were blessed with 4 children and 55 years of marriage prior to his passing. Greg worked at Burlington Northern Railroad where he was a foreman and laborer for over 18 years. He worked as a Security Guard for several different companies in Tennessee and Iowa. He was also Assistant and scheduler for ChildServe in Johnston, IA, and later a local semi driver hauling seed and grain. He was a very hard working man who took supporting his family very seriously. When he worked, he always did his best for his employer making sure he saved them as much as he could, even if he had to get up at 2:30 in the morning to arrive when he didn’t have to waste time sitting in lines. He would work all of the hours he needed to in order to get the jobs done efficiently. Greg enjoyed the outdoors, camping, fishing, hunting and target practicing. He was very active with Cub Scouts, where he spent a lot of time as a Pack Leader and a Cub Master. He also enjoyed collecting guns, woodworking, and playing with his German Shepherd babies, Tink and Misty. He made friends easily and could talk to anyone about most anything. He was knowledgeable about just about everything and if he didn’t know something, he was always eager to learn. He loved watching movies and documentaries about past wars, history and old airplanes. He was a huge fan of attending his grandkids’ activities such as band, choir, drama productions and sporting events where he will always be remembered for yelling, “Base hits win ball games!”, as well as other encouraging comments. He was an avid Green Bay Packers fan. Greg also loved writing poetry for anniversaries, birthdays, and other special occasions. For their 19th wedding anniversary, he even wrote a song entitled Sweet 19, which he affectionately referred to Pam as ever since. Greg is survived by his wife, Pam; 3 children, Matthew Don (Kristi) Giltner, Angel Lynn (Jim) Stanley, and Kimberly Jean (Joe) Bricker; a daughter-in-law, Judy Giltner; 11 grandchildren, Brooke Giltner, Mackenzie Giltner, Alexandria (Noah) Downey, Madison Giltner (Joshua Brees), Shyanne Stanley, Samantha (Beau) Perleberg, Sabrina Giltner, Austin Stanley, Emma Giltner, Logan Bricker, and Sydney Bricker; 3 great grandchildren, Kaylee Downey, Oaklee Brees, and Christopher Downey; 2 sisters, Marilyn Goldsberry of Colorado and Cindy Stricker of Tennessee; 2 half-sisters, Sharon Guacheno of California and Patty Maynard of Alabama; and several nieces and nephews. Greg is also survived by several cousins and good friends, including cousin and good friend, Lynn McBee. He was preceded in death by a son, Michael Dwane Giltner; his father, Frank Giltner, his mother, Jean Huffman; his mother and father-in-law, Eunice and Lloyd Nichols; a sister, Carolyn McKinney; a half-brother, Rod Giltner; a brother-in-law, Don Nichols; and several aunts and uncles. Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at the Tharp Funeral Home in Albia, with Greg’s family present throughout to greet family and friends. A Celebration of Life will be held from 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at Jim and Angel Stanley’s home, located at 6664 189th St., Albia, IA 52531. In lieu of flowers, an open memorial has been established to the family to be determined at a later date.

Gregory "Greg" Dean Giltner

July 5, 1948 - July 11, 2023