Joe William Lieser

Joe William Lieser died peacefully Saturday afternoon on July 12, 2025, with his daughter and son at his side in his home on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He was 101 years old. Joe was a beloved son, brother, father, husband, and friend. He touched the lives of many with his profound sense of humor, warmth, curiosity, and gregarious nature. With his brilliant mind, disarming wit, and an empathetic heart, he had the rare gift and ability to connect with just about anyone. As many have said about Joe over the years, he never met a stranger.

Born in Dover, Ohio, on May 16, 1924, he grew up in this quaint city located on the Tuscarawas River among the rolling hills of northeastern Ohio. After graduating from Dover High School in 1942, he enrolled in the military and served three years in the United States Army, including participating in combat operations in Northern Africa and Italy during World War II. Following the war, Joe attended The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, graduating from the College of Dentistry in 1949. He was a life-long Buckeye fan.

Joe enjoyed a professional career spanning more than four decades. The majority of these years were spent with The Columbus Dental Manufacturing Company and Miles Dental Products, where he served as Vice President of Sales in both their retail and manufacturing divisions and in technical affairs and research. His role allowed him to travel to cities both large and small across the US, as well as to many other countries around the world.

Joe was a devoted husband and father. He met the love of his life, Imogene (affectionately known as Emo) Stutz, when he was just a boy. His home on Front Street in Dover backed up to her home on Second Street, and their childhood friendship blossomed into love and marriage after the war. They married in 1948 and shared 73 devoted years together. Their early years together saw them settle in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, where they were blessed with a daughter and son. After the kids were grown and out on their own, Joe and Emo moved to the St. Louis, Missouri, area in 1983, where they spent the next six years.

When Joe allowed himself to retire in 1990, he and Emo decided to make their home in Bluffton, South Carolina, and they moved to the Low Country in 1989. Then, when downsizing their home in 2015, he and Emo moved to The Seabrook of Hilton Head. Joe was very involved in community activities both in Bluffton and at Seabrook. He loved to play golf, and he and Emo participated in many golf club activities both at the Rose Hill community in which they lived and elsewhere. He also was a member of the Rose Hill Garden Club and the Bluffton Men’s Club. And, he and Emo were members of the Hilton Head Gourmet club.

Joe’s faith was an important part of his life, and he and Emo were founding members of Low Country Presbyterian Church in Bluffton where he and Emo were both very active over many years. Joe also was a member of a bible study group at The Seabrook of Hilton Head.

He is survived by his daughter Mindy Burke and her husband John of Denver, Colorado, and his son Matthew Lieser and his wife Karen of Columbus, Ohio. He is also survived by four grandchildren: Megan Burke and Ryan Burke of Denver, Colorado, and Jason Lieser and Tyler Lieser of Columbus, Ohio, as well daughters-in-law Kristin Lieser and Lauren Lieser of Columbus, Ohio. And, finally, he is survived by two great grandchildren: Henry Lieser and Ben Lieser of Coumbus, Ohio.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at The Seabrook of Hilton Head on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Joe’s name, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn., 38105 or at https://www.stjude.org.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105
Tel: 1-800-805-5856
Web: http://www.stjude.org/