Gene Eilerts
Obituary
Gene S. Eilerts was born April 17,
1945, to Eugene Pryce and Anne (Jantz) Eilerts in the family home
near Fredonia, Kansas. Gene had three siblings: His older brother,
Jay Dee Eilerts; his oldest sister, Nyla Sills; and youngest sister,
Connie Haller. At the age of four Gene and his family moved to their
new family farmstead near Walton, Kansas. Gene helped his father with
their grain and cattle operation. He began driving the tractor at the
age of nine. Gene and Jay Dee had their own baling operation during
their high school years. He attended twelve years of school in Walton
and graduated in 1963 with twelve classmates. He was very active in
sports and excelled in both football and basketball. He enlisted in
the United States Air Force the summer after graduation and received
an honorable discharge in 1967. During his tour of duty, he was
stationed at Minot Air Force Base which is 13 miles north of Minot,
North Dakota, and Nakhon Phanom in Thailand where he had his own bomb
loading crew. Their missions were flown to Ho Chi Minh Trail.
On December 7, 1968, he married
Christine Ann Stucky from McPherson, Kansas. They were married in the
Eden Mennonite Church near Moundridge, Kansas. They were married 46
years before his death. Their union produced two sons; Jeffrey Aaron
born January 22, 1975; and Joel Matthew born January 31, 1979. Gene
was preceded in death by his mother, Anne Eilerts; his father, Eugene
Pryce Eilerts; his step-mother, Geneva Eilerts, brothers-in-law
Charles Stucky and Larry Sills, and both sets of grandparents. Gene
leaves his wife, Christine, his oldest son Jeffrey and his wife
Tiffany and his youngest son Joel and his wife Courtney, and four
grandchildren, Ashlyn, Taylor, Tatum, and Barrett, his brother and
sisters, a host of nieces and nephews, and many, many other friends
and relatives to mourn his death.
Gene was employed with IBT for 34
years. His career with IBT began in 1976 as a salesman for the
Wichita, Kansas, Branch, a few years later he was asked to manage the
branch in Hutchinson, Kansas, and then in 1987 was promoted to Area
Sales Manager of the Tulsa and Muskogee, Oklahoma, branches. Gene
retired from IBT in August of 2010. He enjoyed his years with IBT. He
had grown up with machinery on their farm in Kansas and was a natural
selling industrial machinery and parts. He enjoyed designing systems
for his customers and treasured the friendships he made along the
way.
Gene had many hobbies. He collected 1/8
scale farm toys, pedal tractors, and old metal Structo toys that he
purchased and refurbished. He also had an antique car, two trucks and
two tractors which are stored at their farm near McPherson, Kansas.
Gene was a good provider and loving
husband and father. He always said that if his sons would remember
one third of what he taught them, they would turn out to be
wonderful, successful men. He was a strict disciplinarian and had
high expectations of his sons but loved his sons with all his heart.
He was their biggest advocate at their football games. He could do
absolutely anything with his hands. He could fix anything that even
thought about breaking, and kept their home running like a top. He
kept an immaculate yard and he and Chris spent many hours outside
working together. Gene and Chris did everything together. They took
family vacations when the boys were home and then they traveled as
much as they could when both boys were in college and on their own
with their own families from 1997 to 2010. They wanted to be
physically closer to their sons and their families. So after 2010,
they put all their energy and effort into building their dream home
just outside of Edmond where Chris resides. They began clearing their
acreage in the summer of 2011 and moved into their new home October
5, 2012. Gene was a member of the New Covenant United Methodist
church and participated in a number of voluntary projects within the
church. Memorial service will be held at 11:00 a. m. Tuesday (Dec. 1,
2015) at New Covenant United Methodist Church, Edmond. Services are
under the direction of Matthews Funeral Home, Edmond.
