Geissler’s Supermarket Loses its Matriarch

The matriarch of Geissler’s Supermarket has died.

Mary (Geissler) Nilsson, 89, was the daughter of founder A.F. Geissler and the grandmother of the chain’s current leaders, according to Patch.com. No cause of death was immediately given.

“The lifelong resident of the Broad Brook section of East Windsor (Connecticut) grew up riding with her father to pick up grocery orders and then delivering the next day,” the Patch report said. “He had founded his business in 1923, and was originally located at 123 Main Street in Broad Brook. After Mary graduated from Ellsworth High School and Colby Junior College, she married Jim Nilsson, who took over the business and expanded it into a multi-location independent chain.”

Patch reported that Jim Nilsson died in 1995. The couple had four children, and the food retailer is now run by one of Mary and Jim’s grandsons.

The chain operates seven stores, most of them in Connecticut with one in Massachusetts, according to the Geissler’s website.