Jay and Amy Ganske are shown hiking while on a bucket list trip to British Columbia, Canada.

Jay and Amy Ganske’s dream was to retire and spend their summer months somewhere cooler.  

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

The Ganske Family Weekend has been held at Lake Panorama in early July since 2020, although many extended family gatherings preceded this named event. A water balloon fight is part of the annual tradition, with more than 1,000 water balloons involved. This photo in front of Jay and Amy Ganske’s home was taken shortly after the 2025 water balloon fight.

Many working Iowans spend their adult years dreaming of a retirement that allows them to spend winter months somewhere warmer. Yet for one Lake Panorama couple, their dream was to retire and spend their summer months somewhere cooler.  

Jay Ganske was born in Sumner, Iowa. He spent his early childhood in Sacramento, California, before his family moved back to Iowa when he was 9 years old. They settled in New Hampton where his father started a plumbing business. 

Amy Silseth was born and raised in Fridley, Minnesota. The two met in October 1981 at Luther College in Decorah when Jay was a senior and Amy was a sophomore. Jay graduated in 1982 with degrees in accounting and economics. Amy graduated in 1984 with a degree in nursing.

The couple married in 1984 and two weeks later moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

“We decided to move to Arizona mostly because of the weather,” Jay says. “We were young and just wanted to try something different in a warmer climate. We weren’t sure how long we might stay, but we came to love it there. We had good jobs and lots of opportunity, so we stayed and raised a family.”

The couple has two sons. Trevor, 35, is married to Rebecca and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Carsten, 33, is single and lives in Portland, Oregon.

Amy and Jay Ganske are avid golfers and members of both Lake Panorama National and Panorama West golf courses. Here they were competing in the 2025 Talk Like a Pirate golf tournament at Lake Panorama National, where participants are encouraged to dress the part.

Amy is a registered nurse. When the Mayo Clinic opened in Arizona, she was among the first employees. She retired from Mayo in 2019 after 32 years. 

Jay started his career as a CPA and worked two years in Minneapolis, then three years in Arizona. Eventually, he got into banking, financing commercial real estate for 35 years before retiring in 2025.

The introduction to Lake Panorama 

Jay and Amy Ganske’s first introduction to Lake Panorama came from Jay’s sister, Peg Carr. 

Robert and Peg Carr bought a house on Burchfield Cove in 2016. Their move from Solon to Lake Panorama happened when Robert joined the State Farm Insurance Agency office in Guthrie Center. 

“Bob and I were high school sweethearts and have been married nearly 40 years this June,” Peg says. “He, his brother and three sisters and I and my two brothers all grew up in New Hampton. After our parents passed away when I was in high school and my older brothers were in college, Bob’s parents offered to let us use their home as our home base while we finished college.”

Once the Carrs were settled at Lake Panorama, Jay, Amy and their boys visited several times over the next few years.

Jay and Amy Ganske have had a home in Arizona since 1984, which means Iowa family likes to visit them in the winter months. Here the Ganskes were joined by Barb and Dave Boeding and Peg and Robert Carr for an afternoon of hiking and four-wheeling near Happy Jack, Arizona.

“We really enjoyed our time at the lake,” Jay says. “We talked about the possibility of buying a home there now and then, but never seriously. But, with retirement approaching and a desire to avoid the hot summers in Arizona, we thought about it more and more.” 

In 2021, the couple made an unsuccessful offer on a lake home. 

“We were beginning to think it wasn’t meant to be,” Jay says. “A year later, Peg heard of a home three doors west of them that would be coming up for sale soon. We bought it in August 2022, sight unseen.” 

The Ganskes aren’t the first couple to purchase a home at Lake Panorama because of Robert and Peg Carr.

Robert’s sister Barb and her husband, Dave Boeding, bought their first home at the lake in 2021. They lived in a couple of different homes before moving into a new house on Burchfield Cove in 2024. The Boedings also own a home in North Liberty where their three children live.

And there’s more. 

Doug and Sue Jennings, Robert’s younger sister, live in Davenport. In 2024, they purchased a home on the east side of the lake just before the Narrows. Now both the Boedings and the Jennings are a two-minute drive or a 12-minute walk from the Ganskes and Carrs. 

The likes

Jay and Amy Ganske say their life in Arizona is quite different from their life in Iowa, but they appreciate both. Here Jay and their son, Carsten, play cornhole on the back patio of their Scottsdale home on Christmas Day.

Jay and Amy Ganske spend May to October at Lake Panorama, returning to Scottsdale for the rest of the year. What do they like about their summer home at Lake Panorama? 

“More than anything, having family nearby,” Jay says. “Plus, we enjoy the golf, pickleball, boating, biking, walks, gardening and never-ending projects around the house. We’ve also met a lot of really nice people here, and have enjoyed getting to know them.”

Amy and Jay both play pickleball and are golfing members at Lake Panorama National and Panorama West. To enjoy the lake, they have a pontoon, a jet ski, paddleboards and kayaks.

“It’s quite a learning curve to live on a lake for the first time,” Amy says. “We also enjoy getting to know the area more, whether it be walking, biking the Raccoon River Valley Trail or driving around Iowa.”

Amy likes photography, especially nature and landscape photos. 

“Iowa provides a lot of opportunities to take photos of old barns and buildings, as well as beautiful landscapes that are very unlike those in Arizona,” she says. “I like to document many of our experiences with photographs.”

This is the third year the couple has had a garden near their lake home. 

“It’s challenging to grow vegetables in Arizona,” Amy says. “Gardening here has been a lot of work but also a lot of fun. I learned how to can some foods and love making salsa. We love having colorful flowers around the yard and fresh veggies on the counter. Our life in Arizona is quite different from our life in Iowa, but we appreciate them both. It’s great to be able to experience both lifestyles.”

Jay and Amy Ganske enjoy traveling, and have a bucket list of destinations they plan to visit in the future. In 2024, they golfed Furry Creek Golf and Country Club near Whistler, British Columbia.

Another thing the Ganskes do during their months in Iowa is host guests. 

“We’ve had friends from Arizona visit and we try to do our best to show them the Lake Panorama and Iowa lifestyle,” Jay says. “Some of them have never been to Iowa. It’s a place you have to visit to appreciate, and we can say all those who have made the trip have really enjoyed it.”

Family gatherings

Amy has two brothers, one in Minnesota and one in Arizona. The Minnesota brother, Paul, and his wife, Anne, along with some of their children, also come to visit. And then there is the annual Ganske Family Weekend, held each July. 

“It’s well attended. Our boys have both made it here,” Jay says. “Peg and our brother Tim each have three children who generally attend. Many of them are married with kids, so it ends up being a big group. We have had a great time with over 1,000 water balloons broken during the annual water ballon fight, which has become a tradition. Some of us golf while some shop in town.”

The Ganskes also prioritize travel to places beyond their homes in Scottsdale or at Lake Panorama. 

“We’ve been very fortunate to visit many places over the years. We’re working hard to balance time in Iowa, Arizona and fulfilling our bucket list of travel opportunities,” Jay says.

In this photo, Peg Carr is third from the left. The other three women are all related to Carr. Left to right, Sue Jensen and Barb Boeding are sisters of Robert Carr, who is Peg’s husband. On the far right is Amy Ganske, who is married to Peg’s brother, Jay. The foursome participated in a golf cart parade that originated at Boulder Beach during the 2024 Panorama Days.

Peg Carr says she and Robert feel lucky to have the chance to live at Lake Panorama and to now have family members who feel the same way.

“Dave and Barb were the first to join us, and it has been so great to have them and Jay and Amy and Sue and Doug so close,” she says. “We get to see them so much more. We often trade tools, help when someone is away, get together for dinners, coffee or wine, mow lawns for each other and so much more.”

Robert Carr has two siblings who don’t own property at Lake Panorama but who enjoy visits to the lake. His sister Jane and her husband, Joe Paulus, live on a farm near Ionia, Iowa. Brother Dave and his wife, Liz, live in Wisconsin. 

“Everyone comes for the Carr family reunion in July, and we get to see some of the family here a few other times in the year,” Peg says. “Of course, all the Ganskes are invited to the Carr family reunion, and all the Carrs are invited to the Ganske family reunion.”

Jay and Peg’s brother Tim lives with his wife, Mary, in Clive. 

“We’re trying to get them to buy a place at Lake Panorama, too, but they say they already have at least two places they can stay, why would they want another?” Peg says. “Although Tim did join the Panorama West men’s league this year to play golf with Jay, Robert and our son, Ben.”

Robert Carr’s mother is the only living parent of the Ganske and Carr siblings. 

“I know she is proud that we are all together,” Peg says. “I’m sure my parents would be, too.”