A 74-year resident of Tyner and Marshall County, coming from Kentucky, Eugene B. “Gene” Calvert, 89, 17918 Vine St., Tyner, Ind., has died. Gene died, following an extended illness, at 12:05 p.m. in Pilgrim Manor Nursing Center on Tuesday, January 9, 2001.
Born on Feb. 16, 1911, in Fleming County, Kentucky, Gene was the son of Charles Wallace and Margaret E. Gardner Calvert. He was the youngest of their eight children. He attended Kentucky schools. In the mid-twenties, his folks, a brother and Gene moved to the Tyner area.
He was first married to Olive “Polly” Huffman on March 31, 1929, in Tyner. Polly died on January 17, 1975. In the early years of their marriage, Gene worked for the railroad. During World War II, he worked at the Kingsbury Ordinance Plant.
For 37 years, he was employed by Schlosser Brothers Creamery-Hawthorn Melody as a refrigeration engineer. After his retirement in 1971, he went to work for Price’s Nursery. His love of trees and plants endeared him to many people in this area. He retired from there in 1986.
On April 16, 1977, the Rev. William Nangle united Gene and Marian Matthews in marriage.
A Sunday school supervisor for a time, Gene was a board member of the Plymouth Wesleyan Church for many years. He was the liaison person between the contractors of the original church building and the board and also served in that capacity during the building of the parsonage.
Gene loved to fish. He and Marian spent many hours beside a riverbank somewhere enjoying the company of singing birds and listening to the sound of running water. They appreciated nature and floating downriver in their flat-bottomed boat gave them much pleasure together.
He was a member of the Teamsters Union.
He is survived and will be greatly missed by his wife, Marian and by two sons: Larry L. and Anna Calvert, Charlo, Montana and Phillip “Phil” R. and Rose Calvert, Muncie, Ind. Two step-daughters, Brenda Matthews, Beaverton, Ore., and Judith and DeVere Abair, Plymouth, also survive, together with Lenny and Linda Matthews, Breverton, Ore., a step-son.
Four grandchildren, several step-grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and several more step-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews and two brothers-in-law and their families, survive as well.
Gene was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, five brothers and two sisters.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2001, in the Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth, and for one hour prior to services in the church.
Church services will be held on Friday, January 12, 2001, at 11 a.m. in the Plymouth Wesleyan Church, 11203 S. Michigan St., Plymouth. The Revs. Les Kephart and Robert Vardaman, pastors of the Wesleyan Church, will conduct the services.
Interment will be in Tyner Cemetery, Tyner, Ind.
Memorial gifts in Gene’s memory may be made to the Marshall County Hospice, the “Homecare” Visiting Nurses Association of St. Joseph County or to Pilgrim Manor Nursing Home.
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