Gene was hard working, honest and generous.
From his modest working class roots, he went on to become a successful plumbing contractor in Las Vegas.
His love of boats and the water led him to the U.S. Coat Guard in the 1950s. This was the McCarthy era. Gene got discharged from the Coast Guard because of his father’s politics. The family had to hire an attorney to fight for an honorable discharge.
So you understand Meyer’s politics, I always joke that there were two periodicals on the coffee table at my grandparent’s house: T.V. Guide and People’s World.
Gene worked his way up the ranks as a plumber, I believe in Petaluma, apprentice, journeyman, etc. His plumbing work led him to Las Vegas.
I am at a cross roads here about how to tell this story. There are things about Gene’s life I am pretty sure are true; the stories of family legend; stories that might offend people. Let’s just say that Gene got to know the right people in Las Vegas. Whether that helped him succeed in business or whether it was his purely his work ethic, I’ll never know for sure. I know for a fact that he was up at 3 a.m every work day busting his butt.
Along the way, Gene got married to his high school sweetheart, Shirley. They lived in Petaluma and had 3 kids. David, Bobby and Amy. David is also a plumber in Las Vegas. Amy lives in Las Vegas where she works in a casino.
In the early 1960s Gene divorced Shirley and married Jeanne. They have two kids. Charlie is a plumber in Arizona. Danny is a high tech whiz in Texas.
I still remember being about 4 years old (circa 1963), living in Hayward, CA, when Gene brought Jeanne to meet us for the first time. They were happy and in love.
Uncle Gene was very special to me. The thought of spending time with him was exciting. He was full of humor and fun. I have a distinct memory of driving with him in his red Chevy Impala, listening to pop music on the A.M. radio. It was the 1960s. I still get a warm feeling listening to music from that era. Ask my kids. I raised them on the oldies, listening to KFRC.
I remember in the 1970s, visiting Gene and Jeanne in Las Vegas. Gene must have asked me whether we had a microwave oven, which we did not. He drove to one of his job sites, grabbed a huge new microwave in the box and sent it home with me. How proud I was to bring this gift from Uncle Gene.
Gene spent most of his life in Las Vegas. He and Jeanne raised their family there. I had many opportunities to visit. They were always very kind and generous to me. Great memories.
Back to where we started. I thought about Uncle Gene because of fishing. I am passionate about fishing. I owe Gene a lot of credit. He took me fishing all over the place, including Alaska.
In the last five years or so, It gave me great pleasure to call Gene and send him fishing pictures. When he could not remember anything else, he remembered fishing. When I fished in Tomales Bay, he warned me about crossing the bar. When I caught a salmon near Elephant Rock, he knew exactly where I was. He never stopped kidding that anything I caught was too small.
Gene is no longer with us. He touched many lives in a positive way. I still think about him when I go fishing.
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