Christopher Thomas Giessmann passed away on Saturday, May 30th, 2026 in Cartwright, Oklahoma. Chris was born on July 4th, 1971 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to John David Giessmann and Patricia Jo (Briggs) Giessmann.

After graduating from Putnam City North High School in 1989, he attended college at the University of Oklahoma before transferring to the University of Central Oklahoma where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. He was dedicated to family and service of the community. During the financial crisis he worked for a major mortgage firm assisting borrowers as they navigated federal assistance programs. He cooked in and managed several restaurants with great success. He worked as a substitute teacher and enjoyed coaching junior sports in his spare time. Chris was a talented handy-man and carpenter and was always ready to share his skills. He had that uncanny ability to master whatever task he took on, constantly searching for a new challenge.

Chris enjoyed sharing his passion for cooking with friends and family and took pride in serving amazing meals for them whenever he could. He often spent quality time with his nieces as they watched cooking shows and discussed their favorite meals. Chris was an avid animal lover and had three cats: Tommy, Elvis, and Ziva. While they could be shy with other family members, they were often found sleeping around or even on Chris.

He was preceded in death by his father; his uncle, William Douglas “Bill” Giessmann; and grandparents, Gertie Rae (Stein) Briggs, Thomas Marian Briggs, Frances Ann “Fran” (Elledge) Wall Giessmann, and George Karl Giessmann Jr.; great aunt, Mamie Jo (Stein) Sparlin; great uncle, Rex E. Sparlin, and close family friend, Ann J. Barnes.

Chris is survived by his mother Patricia Jo “Pat” (Briggs) Henson and husband Ruben Henson of Denison, TX, brother John-David Giessmann II and sister-in-law Cecilia (Spinelli) Giessmann of Leesburg, VA; his brother Charles Giessman and sister-in-law Yasmine (Abbariki) Giessmann of Gaithersburg, MD; his uncle Gary Giessmann and wife Ladonna Giessmann; his cousins Gregory Giessmann, Douglas Giessmann, Jennifer (Giessmann) McCarty, Randy Sparlin, Rexann (Sparlin) Buchanan, Ryan Buchanan, and Ronnie Ann (Buchanan) LeBlanc; three nieces Emily N. Giessmann, Rachael E. Giessmann, and Roya J. Giessmann, and one nephew Ryan C. Giessmann.

Chris had many special people in his life and the family would like to thank close friends Kurtis Newby and Beverly Patterson, Dr. Hesham Elgouhari and Dr. Yasir Lal for the extraordinary efforts to give us as much time with Chris as possible, the staff of the Texoma Medical Center especially the care provided by the ICU and radiology teams, home aid Kristie from Cornerstone Caregivers, and both Lori and Jessica from Amedisys.

Funeral services will be held at Vondel Smith Mortuary North on Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 11:00 AM with Reverend Linda Brinkworth (a longtime family friend) officiating. Burial will follow at Lexington Cemetery.