MONROE - Lee Geiger, 84, Monroe, died Wednesday at his home, but he leaves an indelible mark on the community that will influence generations to come.
Lee Geiger bought the Monroe Sales Company in 1961, when he and his wife, June, moved their family to Monroe, and later built Alphorn Ford, Inc., which is now a group of 16 dealerships.
But Lee Geiger also inspired an expansion for education in the Monroe community.
Geiger bought the vacated Monroe Clinic building downtown in 1993, after the clinic moved to the north side of the city near the hospital, and helped raise funds to remodel it into the Monroe Public Library, which is also home to the Monroe School District administrative offices.
"I thought he was as an upstanding citizen for the City of Monroe," said Mayor Bill Ross. "I think he will be best remembered for purchasing the clinic building. It was very generous on his part to do that for the school and the city."
Geiger formed a committee to raise $330,000 to turn his $177,000 clinic building into a library. The community jumped on the project in November 1994, with overwhelming support of a $1.65 million referendum. On March 30, 1996, the books from the small Ludlow Library were passed across 8th Street and into the spacious, new library.
"Seventeen years after the new library that Lee and June Geiger made possible opened its doors to the public, the board, staff and patrons of the Monroe Public Library remain grateful for their generosity," said Suzann Holland, library director.
"Though this building represents only a part of Lee's legacy, it will remain a tangible reminder in the community as future generations walk through its doors," she added.
The library was never named for Geiger and his contribution to the community. He and his wife, June, insisted the library not be named after them.
Instead, the Geigers were honored with a bronze plaque that remains displayed in the library's vestibule.
See Lee Geiger's full obituary in the Record section.
Lee Geiger bought the Monroe Sales Company in 1961, when he and his wife, June, moved their family to Monroe, and later built Alphorn Ford, Inc., which is now a group of 16 dealerships.
But Lee Geiger also inspired an expansion for education in the Monroe community.
Geiger bought the vacated Monroe Clinic building downtown in 1993, after the clinic moved to the north side of the city near the hospital, and helped raise funds to remodel it into the Monroe Public Library, which is also home to the Monroe School District administrative offices.
"I thought he was as an upstanding citizen for the City of Monroe," said Mayor Bill Ross. "I think he will be best remembered for purchasing the clinic building. It was very generous on his part to do that for the school and the city."
Geiger formed a committee to raise $330,000 to turn his $177,000 clinic building into a library. The community jumped on the project in November 1994, with overwhelming support of a $1.65 million referendum. On March 30, 1996, the books from the small Ludlow Library were passed across 8th Street and into the spacious, new library.
"Seventeen years after the new library that Lee and June Geiger made possible opened its doors to the public, the board, staff and patrons of the Monroe Public Library remain grateful for their generosity," said Suzann Holland, library director.
"Though this building represents only a part of Lee's legacy, it will remain a tangible reminder in the community as future generations walk through its doors," she added.
The library was never named for Geiger and his contribution to the community. He and his wife, June, insisted the library not be named after them.
Instead, the Geigers were honored with a bronze plaque that remains displayed in the library's vestibule.
See Lee Geiger's full obituary in the Record section.