Eugene (Gene) Herman |
| Posted 2009-04-22 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Tuesday, April 07, 2009 Eugene "Gene" Herman, born June 11, 1919, died April 5, 2009. Gene was born near Norman, Okla., to parents Elizabeth "Molly" (White) Herman and Wiley Chitwood Herman. He lived in Oklahoma until he was four years old, when the family moved to Chandler, Ariz. A short time later they moved to Gisela, Ariz., and he was raised on his father's ranch until he turned 16 and left on his horse Blazer for a new life in Chandler. A year later, 1939, he married Bernice Hadley. They had five girls and one boy and owned a dairy farm southeast of Chandler where they lived for 38 years. During WWII he worked at Williams Air Force Base on the flight line with the fire crews. Following the death of Bernice he married Emma Jeanne DeVries and changed his occupation from dairy farmer to mortician after he completed Mortuary School of Los Angeles. He then purchased Memory Chapel in Prescott, Ariz. Gene became a Christian at the age of 30 and was a longtime member of the Church of the Nazarene. He was a board member, usher and Sunday school teacher, and was on the building committee. He was a proud member of the Kiwanis Club for over 30 years and was its president in Prescott. Gene loved to travel and Emma and he bought four different RVs and traveled many of the states and also visited 14 foreign countries. He loved his children and also the neighborhood kids. If a child had a bike problem they always went to see "Uncle Gene" because they knew he'd fix it. He loved to hunt and fish all his life. As a young man during the Great Depression in Gisela, Ariz., he'd take a 22-caliber single-shot rifle and take down deer to provide meat for the family. One time he even went to Alaska to fish salmon. Another time he decided to hike the Grand Canyon with a friend and accomplished the rim-to-rim trip. He is survived by his wife, Emma Jeanne, and six children, Glenda (Dwain) Holliefield of Chandler; Barbara Hellman of Palisades, Colo.; Sandra (Mike) Hickey of Chandler; Mary Fletcher of Cedar City, Utah; Daniel (Ruthie) Herman of Scottsdale; and Beth (Charles) Adams of Monroe, Utah. He is also survived by 28 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren; four sisters, Eulene Henson of Amado, Ariz., Francie Escobedo Chandler, Ariz., Norma Reisch of Chandler, Ariz., Carolyn Dille of Young, Ariz.; and one brother, Wiley Herman of Queen Creek, Ariz. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 8 at Chandler First Church of the Nazarene, 301 N. Hartford St., Chandler, Ariz. A celebration of his life will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 9, also at the Chandler First Church of the Nazarene, with viewing one hour before at 10 a.m. Burial to follow at the Mesa City Cemetery. A memorial service at the First Church of the Nazarene in Prescott will take place at a later date. Bueler Mortuary is assisting with the arrangements. Information provided by survivors. |
Note: These obituaries are transcribed as published and are submitted by volunteers who have no connection to the families. They do not write the obituaries and have no further information other than what is posted within the obituaries. We do not do personal research. For this you would have to find a volunteer who does this or hire a professional researcher.
Questions About This Project?