Geiszel, John I.

Jesuit Father John I. Geiszel, 95,  died on August 14, 2012, in Los Gatos, California, after a long illness. Born in Los Angeles, California, on October 30, 1916, Fr.  Geiszel entered the Society of Jesus at Sacred Heart Novitiate in Los Gatos on August 14, 1946.  He pronounced final vows on August 15, 1963, at Loyola High School in Los Angeles.

Fr. Geiszel was raised in Los Angeles, attending Blessed Sacrament grammar school in Hollywood.  After graduating from Loyola High School of Los Angeles in 1934, he attended UCLA and then joined the Army and fought in World War II. He joined the Jesuit Novitiate at age 29, older than his contemporaries.

Fr. Geiszel served on and off at Loyola High from 1960 to 1970 as vice principal. Working closely with Principal Fr. Edward McFadden, SJ, the two were known for their no-nonsense disciplinary style. In Fall of 1963, Fr. Geiszel went to Jesuit High in Sacramento, serving as the new school’s first principal. He returned to Loyola in 1966, again as vice principal until 1970.

In his later years, Fr. Geiszel returned to the Loyola High campus to live in the Jesuit community, eventually heading to Los Gatos in 2007.