Alvin E. "Gene" Gillespie, 86, of Enid, Oklahoma, died at 4:33 p.m., Sunday, January 18, 2015 at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Enid.
He was born March 2, 1928 in Moundville, Missouri to Joseph Clinton and Edith May (Blackwell) Gillespie. He grew up in Moundville and was a 1948 graduate of Bronaugh High School in Bronaugh, Missouri. Gene served in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Lacklin Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for his basic training. After basic training, he was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi where he attended aircraft and mechanic school and taught mechanics. He later was stationed at Shepard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas where he taught mechanics. In earlier years, he worked at Calument Steel in Chicago Heights, Illinois, and Union Wire Rope in Kansas City, Missouri.
On October 1, 1953, he and Marjorie C. Sevart were married at St. Francis Catholic Church in St. Paul, Kansas. Following marriage, he worked as a mechanic at Alderman's International Dealers in Parsons, Kansas until the business was taken by fire. He then owned and operated Gene's Garage in St. Paul until moving to Wichita in 1954 where he worked at Boeing Aircraft, Cessna Aircraft and the Santa Fe Railroad Trailer Shop. They later moved to the Kansas City area where he worked at the Santa Fe Railroad Trailer Shop, Detco Trailer Shop, and the UPS Trailer Shop in Lenexa. In 1987, while working for Detco, Gene designed and built five trolley tour buses for use at Estes Park. He retired from UPS in 1991.
He was a member of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Enid. He enjoyed woodworking, gardening, making furniture and toys, and had invented many tools to use in his occupation. In 2009, the couple moved to Enid to be near family.
Survivors include his wife, Marjorie Gillespie, of the home; one daughter, Margene Burnham and her husband, Eugene, Pond Creek, OK; four grandchildren, Sheldon Burnham, Samuel Burnham, Bret Burnham, and JinYu Burnham; three sisters, Twyla Lundry, Independence, MO, his twin sister, Christine Nunez, Nevada, MO, June Smith, Nevada, MO; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by one daughter, Janeen Gillespie, who passed away on February 17, 2000; two brothers, Harvey and Jerry Gillespie; and four sisters, Edith Buchannan, Anna Cassatt, Dorothy Senkevich and Garnett Tilley.
The funeral Mass will be at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, January 22, 2015 at St. Francis Catholic Church in St. Paul, Kansas. Burial will be in St. Francis Cemetery with military honors given by Brown-Bishop Post No. 704, Veterans of Foreign Wars in Parsons. The rosary will be prayed at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, at the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons, Kansas. The family will receive friends at 6:30 p.m., following the rosary, at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the Pond Creek-Hunter School Library Fund. These may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, KS 67357.
Online condolences may be left at www.forbeshoffman.com. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Alvin E. "Gene" Gillespie, please visit our flower store.
He was born March 2, 1928 in Moundville, Missouri to Joseph Clinton and Edith May (Blackwell) Gillespie. He grew up in Moundville and was a 1948 graduate of Bronaugh High School in Bronaugh, Missouri. Gene served in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Lacklin Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for his basic training. After basic training, he was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi where he attended aircraft and mechanic school and taught mechanics. He later was stationed at Shepard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas where he taught mechanics. In earlier years, he worked at Calument Steel in Chicago Heights, Illinois, and Union Wire Rope in Kansas City, Missouri.
On October 1, 1953, he and Marjorie C. Sevart were married at St. Francis Catholic Church in St. Paul, Kansas. Following marriage, he worked as a mechanic at Alderman's International Dealers in Parsons, Kansas until the business was taken by fire. He then owned and operated Gene's Garage in St. Paul until moving to Wichita in 1954 where he worked at Boeing Aircraft, Cessna Aircraft and the Santa Fe Railroad Trailer Shop. They later moved to the Kansas City area where he worked at the Santa Fe Railroad Trailer Shop, Detco Trailer Shop, and the UPS Trailer Shop in Lenexa. In 1987, while working for Detco, Gene designed and built five trolley tour buses for use at Estes Park. He retired from UPS in 1991.
He was a member of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Enid. He enjoyed woodworking, gardening, making furniture and toys, and had invented many tools to use in his occupation. In 2009, the couple moved to Enid to be near family.
Survivors include his wife, Marjorie Gillespie, of the home; one daughter, Margene Burnham and her husband, Eugene, Pond Creek, OK; four grandchildren, Sheldon Burnham, Samuel Burnham, Bret Burnham, and JinYu Burnham; three sisters, Twyla Lundry, Independence, MO, his twin sister, Christine Nunez, Nevada, MO, June Smith, Nevada, MO; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by one daughter, Janeen Gillespie, who passed away on February 17, 2000; two brothers, Harvey and Jerry Gillespie; and four sisters, Edith Buchannan, Anna Cassatt, Dorothy Senkevich and Garnett Tilley.
The funeral Mass will be at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, January 22, 2015 at St. Francis Catholic Church in St. Paul, Kansas. Burial will be in St. Francis Cemetery with military honors given by Brown-Bishop Post No. 704, Veterans of Foreign Wars in Parsons. The rosary will be prayed at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, at the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons, Kansas. The family will receive friends at 6:30 p.m., following the rosary, at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the Pond Creek-Hunter School Library Fund. These may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, KS 67357.
Online condolences may be left at www.forbeshoffman.com. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Alvin E. "Gene" Gillespie, please visit our flower store.
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