Eugene F Wirsig (1933 - 2015)

Born 5 Nov 1933 in Council Bluff, Iowa, United States

Died 13 Jan 2015 at age 81 in Clarkston, Washington, United States

Biography

Obituary

Eugene F. Wirsig, 81, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at Avalon Progressive Care, where he received extraordinary kindness and expert care.

Gene was born Nov. 5, 1933, in Council Bluff, Iowa, to Leonard and Eula Wirsig. He lived in McCook, Neb., until he graduated from high school. After one year of college he enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a Special Forces ranger. During his four years of service he earned the Expert Infantryman Badge and National Defense Service Medal. He was platoon leader. He often boasted of setting the Army record for one-arm push-ups.

After being discharged from the Army, he attended Omaha University, graduating in 1959. During this time he met and married Betty Wiertz. In 1962, they moved to Corvallis, Ore., where Gene earned a degree in forestry. Years earlier he worked at Yellowstone National Park, falling in love with trees and the great outdoors.

As time progressed, he moved his family to Sweet Home, Ore., then Canby, Ore. While living in Canby, Gene worked at Publishers Paper. He and numerous other employees entered a ping pong tournament, with Gene being the eventual winner. He had a wicked serve that was difficult to defeat.

The family moved again, this time to Eagle River., Wis., where Gene held the position of executive director of Trees For Tomorrow. After four years of long, cold winters, the family made its final move, this time to Clarkston. He was employed by Potlatch as a resource manager until retirement. Once retired, he indulged in his desire to see the world, traveling to many different countries. His favorite country was Ireland. He often said how much he enjoyed listening to the locals spin a yarn.

Gene had a quick wit and a way with words. He wrote poetry and loved to read books whose authors created a sense of imagery. His humor and ability to tell a story will be greatly missed.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents and three siblings.

He is survived by his wife, Betty; son Mark Wirsig; daughter Jennifer Cicrich and husband David Mecham; and grandsons David Cicrich and Wade Cicrich and wife Cari. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ http://lmtribune.com/obituaries/eugene-f-wirsig/article_0385eac1-ca4f-5a06-9f7e-32133fe4b02b.html

• "United States Census, 1940," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K9M5-4BR : accessed 22 January 2015), Eugene Wirsig in household of Leonard Wirsig, Ward 2, McCook, McCook City, Red Willow, Nebraska, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 73-20, sheet 18A, family 411, NARA digital publication T627 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012), roll 2261.