Arthur Gene Poeske

Arthur Gene Poeske (Mickey) was born on October 4,1931 at home in Milwaukee WI to Art and Bertha Poeske. He and his older sister, Donna, spent summers with their grandparents on a farm in Wausau, WI. A younger Brother, Judson arrived 8 years after Art. As a child, Art contracted polio. He credits his mother for taking care of him around the clock putting hot rags on his limbs to help him recover with no residual effects. This enabled him to play sports in school. He was an average student and planned to work in the Allis Chalmers factory upon graduation, so grades didn’t seem so important. His father got him a summer job when he was in High school at the factory and that’s when he realized factory work was not for him. He went back to school with renewed effort and brought his grades up and graduated from Solomon Juno High School. Art told his folks that he wanted to go to college at which point his dad asked him how he was going to pay for that.

Art saved his money and worked during the summer, and he was able to attend Milwaukee State Teachers college (now University of Wisconsin) where he studied accounting as he was told that was a good degree if he wanted to become a lawyer, which was his ultimate goal. After graduating he went to work for the Bendix corporation as a traveling auditor planning to earn money to go to law school. During this time Art was set up on a blind date by mutual friends with Sally Albert who worked as a secretary at Bendix.

Sally said she knew she’d met the man she planned to marry that night, it took Art one more meeting but then he was smitten. They married on November 22, 1958, in Monson Chapel in South Bend, IN. Their First son, Matthew, was born in South Bend. They moved to California and settled in Torrance where David and Susan were born. There they met their lifelong friends, the Blaisedell’s. Art taught Accounting after work in the evenings at the local community college.

In 1965 He wanted to move his kids out of the city to a less busy area so he moved the family to Laguna Niguel which was a fairly small community out past the orange groves at the time, he commuted to LA each day so the family could live a quieter life. During this time period Art completed his MBA from USC. Work moved the family to Coral Springs Florida in 1973, but after a trip to Israel, Sally was homesick for the hills of Southern California and Dad arranged to move back to their home in Laguna Niguel. Dad went to work for Kierulff Electronics as the CFO. In 1982 an opportunity came for him to be on the ground floor of starting a new business venture with a business associate, Jack Darcy, which moved Sally, Art and Susan to Newbury Park CA. Though that business venture didn’t work out, he became CFO of Harco, an aerospace fasteners distribution company. When Art retired from Harco in 1995 he and Sally moved to Gilbert, AZ near daughter Susan and her family.

No matter where he went, Art always exuded a joyful attitude. He brought sunshine wherever he went! He always told folks to ‘Chose to be Happy!’

Art was continuously involved in the church. He and Sally were part of church plants in Laguna Niguel CA, Coral Springs FL, and Chandler and Queen Creek, AZ. He was very involved in the Barrio Nuevo ministry in South Phoenix painting houses for the elderly, tutoring underprivileged kids in the habitat for humanity neighborhood. He and Sally also were avid travelers they met so many people throughout the world that became lifelong friends. He enjoyed Golf and loved Watching college football, specifically University of Wisconsin and USC, and the Green Bay Packers.

Art is survived by his sister, Donna (Poeske)Heideman, his wife Sally (Albert) Poeske, his son Matthew Poeske and Matthew’s wife Diane (Vanden Heuvel) Poeske, son David and his wife Mary (Capilato) Poeske, daughter Susan (Poeske) Stromback, husband John Stromback.

Grandchildren Joshua Poeske, Allison Poeske, Meagan (Poeske) Orsak and her husband Joshua Orsak, Elisabeth Stromback, Laura ((Stromback) Hanes and her husband Michael Hanes. Reagan Stromback and her husband Brandon Mon, Mark Stromback, Christine Poeske, Ryan Poeske, and Mason Poeske. Great granddaughter LaCie Poeske.

He is proceeded in death by his parents Arthur Karl Poeske and Bertha (Schriener) Poeske as well as his brother Judson Poeske and his wife Christine Poeske.

A memorial Service for Art is to be held on October 4, 2025. At 10:30 am at Christ Greenfield Lutheran Church at 435 N Greenfield Rd, Gilbert AZ 85234.