Eugene â?oGeneâ? Malcolm Wells, 85, of Waltonville, Ill., passed away at 1:03 a.m. on Saturday, January 15, 2011 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease and a heart condition. He married Betty Ruth Baker on April 27, 1946 at Mt. Vernon and she survives. Mr. Wells is also survived by two daughters, Catheryn (Eugene) Stanford of Woodlawn and Janice Senftleber of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; four grandsons, David (Jennifer) Senftleber of Houston, Texas, Gene (Emily) Stanford of Joliet, Michael (Katherine) Senftleber of Austin, Texas, Ryan (Trisha) Stanford of Woodlawn; two granddaughters, Samantha Stanford of Shiloh and Amy Senftleber of Jacksonville, Florida; seven great grandchildren; Colin Senftleber, Isabella Stanford, Lily Stanford, twins-Isaac and Aaron Senftleber, Claire Senftleber and Vivienne Stanford; an aunt, Hazel Warner and several cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents. He was born on December 23, 1925 in McClellan Township, Illinois, to Alva L. and Rebah (Stewart) Wells. At age two Gene's mother passed away leaving him to be raised by his maternal grandparents, Robert and Hessie Stewart. Gene graduated from Mt. Vernon Township High School, Southern Illinois University where he received his Bachelors and Masters Degree. He attended the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, Lincoln College of Law, Springfield, IL, Oxford and Cambridge Universities in London, England. Gene served in the Navy from 1943 till 1946. He taught school in Jefferson County for 11 years. He owned and operated Mt. Vernon Memorial Gardens and Tel Aviv Farms. Gene traveled to over 100 foreign countries and loved sharing his experiences with people. The "Bear of Tel Aviv" served on the Jefferson County Board from November 1976 till December 1984 and again from November 1988 till December 1992. During his tenure on the County Board, he served as Chairman from 1982 to 1984 and again from 1990 to 1992. VISITATION will be from 5 to 8:00 P.M. Friday, January 21, 2011 at Hughey Funeral Home in Mount Vernon, Illinois. FUNERAL SERVICE will be held at 1:00 P.M. Saturday, January 22, 2011 at Hughey Funeral Home in Mount Vernon, Illinois, with Mr. Bill Howard officiating. ENTOMBMENT will be at Mount Vernon Memorial Gardens in Woodlawn, Illinois. Members of Mount Vernon American Legion Post #141 will conduct Full Military Honors at the cemetery. Weather permitting; Mr. Wells' antique horse drawn hearse will lead the funeral procession through the cemetery to the Wells' Family mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association, the American Heart Association or Delta Theta Tau Philanthropic Sorority and will be accepted at the funeral home or mailed to Hughey Funeral Home, P.O. Box 721, Mount Vernon, Illinois 62864.