Thursday, August 10, 2017
Dear Naomi, Paul, Rodney, Teresa and Gena,
All of you are in my thoughts and prayers. Gene will be missed not just by you, but by many, many people. He was a big part of my youth. I remember playing against him as he coached Paul and Rodney in Pee Wee and Little League and remember him umpiring so many of our games at Bassett and Riverside Park. “Gene, that wasn’t a strike!” “Myers, you don’t even know what a strike is!” I know he was very proud of all of you. He had a great sense of humor and such a big heart. He gave so much of his time to support not just his family but the entire community. He worked with my mother at the REC (Heartland Rural Electric) for years. She thought the world of Gene and was grateful for the help he was always willing to lend. Gene achieved lofty “character” status for me and many of my friends. He, and his family, are some of the people that always made Iola special for me. I’m better for having known Gene. Farewell to a good man.
