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On November 15, 2021, my wonderful husband entered into the light of Christ. He transitioned from the temporal to the eternal, leaving behind a body that was his worst enemy. From age nine to 86 arthritis tried to stop him in his tracks. But he would have none of that.

After being homeschooled for years, he excelled academically at Jefferson High School, where teachers personally encouraged students who showed academic promise. He went on to the University of Rochester on a full academic scholarship, going from class to class on crutches as he obtained his degree in chemistry. Soon he found employment in the Monroe County Crime Lab as a forensic chemist. He usually needed to explain what that title meant, but now CSI says it all. I swear his hobby was jousting with attorneys’ minds when testifying in court. I will brag where he would not. There was not a district attorney or judge in the five county area that did not know and respect him, not to mention attorneys who appreciated (sometimes to their dismay) his unbiased and  accurate testimony.

By the time I was in nursing school, the last thing I was looking for was a husband. I planned on joining the Navy (they had the sharpest uniforms and I liked water) and seeing the world. But then, Gene careened into my life in his sporty red Jaguar XKE. And I met a man who was smarter and stronger than I, who had a wickedly funny sense of humor and with whom I felt so at ease, you would think I knew him all my life. I guess in a way I did. I am convinced our marriage was God’s plan. The way we met was one for the books, and I suspect covered with heavenly fingerprints.

While he excelled at public speaking, and teaching it in Greece’s Continuing Education Program, I believe the Rochester Corvette Club is his proudest legacy. Way back in 1959 (when I was twelve, I will have you note) he and another new ‘Vette owner, Al Frederick, met in a local pub. Their friendship resulted in the Rochester Corvette Club, now numbering over 700 members, and growing.

While he enjoyed all things Corvette, he treasured his fellow members, whom I have gotten to know. They are not rich snobs bowing to a motorized idol. They are regular folks, the salt of the earth, who treasure each other as the Lord would want. And they are generous to a fault.

At every Christmas party, members bring  gifts for the battered women in the area. For years, Bev and George Mueller loaded up those gifts to personally deliver them on behalf of the club.

Perhaps the greatest recipients are the special charities that the club selects annually, and for which they raise thousands of dollars through various events. So often, when Gene was asked to “say a few words” at the yearly Christmas Party, he would praise them for their kindness and generosity that he said had more value than their cars.

Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas. I know my Gene is going to celebrate one super Christmas, pain-free and with his brilliant mind returned, to praise the King of Kings. That warms my heart. May this Christmas warm yours as well.