Gene McVicker was born Jan. 23, 1927, in Swatara, Minn., to Lora Mabel Lovejoy and Harry McVicker. He was the middle child of nine siblings: Donald, Lorraine, Helen, Harry, Gene, Glen, Thomas, John, and Betty. Betty lives in Arizona and is the only surviving sibling.

Harry and Lora married in Mitchell, Iowa on June 17,1915. Shortly before this, Harry changed his name from Theo Vickers to Harry McVicker. He and Lora moved from Iowa, distancing themselves from the Vickers family. Gene and his siblings knew only their parents as family and had no knowledge of their heritage in West Virginia. The McVickers family moved several times as Gene grew up. The logging industry was at its prime and Harry had a logging crew that traveled from job to job across the country from Minnesota to Oregon.

Diligent and resourceful, uncles and cousins of the West Virginia Vickers family, searched until they found Harry’s side of the family in Oregon and Wyoming. The Vickers only knew that Harry had changed his name and moved “out West” but their determination resulted in Gene becoming acquainted in later life with relatives that he had never known existed. He found his lost cousins to be delightful people. He had several years to visit with them at family reunions in West Virginia and Florida and enjoyed looking at photos of people who looked so much like himself.

Harry moved his family to Burns, in 1943 where he and his logging crew had a job in the Ponderosa pine forests of Harney County. Gene was about 16 and wanted to work on a ranch. Although he had worked with his father, he didn’t really like logging. He found work with Henry Ausmus near Burns until he joined the Merchant Marines.

Gene served in the Merchant Marines from 1944 until 1947. The mission of the Merchant Marines was to supply the other vessels with food and ammunition throughout World War II. It was a time he did not want to discuss.  Today, we would call it PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress disorder.

After his time in the Service, he returned to Burns and proposed to Eileen O’Keeffe. As her parents were not in favor of the marriage, they eloped and married on Aug. 8, 1947. After a few years working for the Ausmus family at Burns and near Lawen, Gene and Eileen moved with their daughter Lora Kathleen, to the Tri-cities in Washington where he found a career in heavy commercial construction building dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers in Oregon and Washington and many other projects including a job in Hawaii. Gene retired after moving to Sauvie Island.

Gene found great enjoyment working leather into belts, holsters, purses, and even some very special briefcases. His summer hobbies including using a lathe to create beautiful wooden pens. Working with the trees and landscaping was a love of his as well. In fact, he bought a new riding lawnmower at age 95.

Gene and Eileen were married almost 77 years. He passed at age 97, leaving his wife, Eileen; daughter, Lora, and son-in-law, Ron; grandchildren, Kimberly, Rogan and wife Krista; and great-granddaughter, Stella.

Gene was known for his work ethic, his bravery, genuine smile, and outgoing nature. He is respected and loved by his family and, many, many friends.