This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Obituary Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/zk.2ADI/2045 Message Board Post: Gene L. Thomas A service celebrating the life of Gene L. Thomas will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Timberline Church in Fort Collins. Clergy officiating at the service are The Revs. Dary Northrop, Frank Estep, John Engle and Darren Fred. The pallbearers are Justin Mader, Gene Edmunds, Roger Hageman, Joe Menchaca, Jim Mathews and Jerry Schmidt. Honorary pallbearers and special friends are Lawrence Haith, George "Andy" Hofferber, Bill Mastin, Keith Vandeventer and Howard McCutcheon. Visitation will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Allnutt Riverside Chapel, 1530 Riverside Ave. Gene was born Sept. 15, 1928, near Crescent City in Pottawattamie County, Iowa to Truman William and Edith Liva (Fouts) Thomas. He was the youngest of five children. The Thomas family moved to Harrison County, Iowa in 1934. Gene attended country schools throughout the eighth grade. He farmed with his father until 1948. On Aug. 9, 1948, Gene was married to Mary Lou Sorey at the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Woodbine, Iowa. To their union two sons, Patrick Gene and James William were born. Gene and Mary Lou farmed in the Woodbine, Iowa area from 1948 until 1960. In 1960, the family moved to Fort Collins. Gene worked for Larimer County as a road construction foreman from 1960 to 1972, for Union Manufacturing, as a truck driver, for three years and for the City of Fort Collins street department from 1975 until he retired in 1994. Later, he worked for Hageman Earth Cycle for four years and was a volunteer shuttle driver at Poudre Valley Hospital. Gene moved to his Heavenly home on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005. He had reached the age of 77 years, one month and fourteen days. His parents; his sisters, Eldora DeForest and Elizabeth Rodasky; and his brother, George W. Thomas, preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Mary Lou; his sons, Patrick and wife, Sharon, Jim and wife, Ruth; two grandchildren, Amanda and Joshua; two step grandchildren, Shannon and husband, Dennis Gallegos and Jamie Seiler and friend Jason Walton; two step great-grandchildren, Paul and Taylor Gallegos; and one brother, Bill Thomas. He is also survived by several other relatives and a huge host of friends who all knew him as "Uncle Gene". Uncle Gene lived his witness of the love of God by all of the special acts of kindness and caring that he performed for those in need and those he loved. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Pulmonary Rehab Unit at Poudre Valley Hospital or to the charity of your choice in care of Allnutt Riverside Chapel. This is an article from coloradoan.com Article published Oct 31, 2005 = = = = = = = local survivors: Shelly (Eric) Schmidt, Harlan Shannon Sorey, Defiance Sheila (Ron) Rogers, Omaha ( Gene's wife, Mary Lou is a 1st cousin of their dad)