Eugene Francis "Gene" Loeffler

Eugene Francis “Gene” Loeffler was born on January 12, 1936, the son of Raymond Anton and Edna (Hood) Loeffler in Burwell, Nebraska. His earliest years were spent in a two-room house, in the middle of nowhere, without electricity, water or even firewood. He went to various country schools eventually moving to Missouri and graduating from Parnell High School. He was baptized in the Catholic church but spent his later years searching for the right Lutheran church after each move. At the time of his death, he was a member of Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkhorn. While in Missouri, Gene worked for a farmer for $150 a month plus room and board. It was hard work but the farmer, Bill Welch, became a lifelong friend. Gene joined the United States Army the day after he turned 20 years old. He studied field radio repair in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, graduating second in his class, and then served two years in Germany. After 3 more years as an Army Reservist, he was honorably discharged in 1962. Gene got a job at Wilson Concrete and within a year was a foreman. He was a hard worker and a strict boss. In 1970, Gene went to work for Radio Engineering repairing radios. At the time, the company had only 10 employees. By the time he retired in 1989, REI had over 300 employees. Gene married Lucille Rhoad Pascarelli on May 5, 1979. They lived in Yutan, Omaha, Forsythe, Missouri and Fort Dodge, Iowa. They enjoyed trips to Florida, Missouri, and Minnesota to see family and friends or just taking their camper out for getaways together or with the grandkids. Gene loved living in Missouri where he could take his canoe out and fish as often as possible. He was quite the handyman for all the single female retirees around Forsythe. After returning to Nebraska to be near family, Gene decided to take on gardening. He even grew a watermelon patch in the middle of his backyard (accidentally) and patiently rearranged the patch when he needed to mow. Their current home in West Omaha was the 18th place Gene called home. While he may have had a stricter, more orderly parenting style with his boys, he was a softie when it came to his four-legged kids. Patches, Bernard, Amity, Bailey, and Dolly were very much loved and a tad bit spoiled. He was a fun grandpa who loved to play card games, teach card tricks, and even share his method for solving a Rubik’s cube (by taking it apart). Gene was not one to ask for help for himself, but he could fix anything - usually with things he had around the house. While he most often fixed appliances and vacuums, he could always see items that needed repair, even though they looked fine to everyone else. When he wasn’t doing that, he worked Sudoku puzzles. Gene loved to play cards. He was always a tough competitor in a card game, dominoes, or a game of pool, no matter who he was playing against. When it came to these games, he didn’t take it easy on anyone, even family. During casual conversation, Gene loved to get someone interested in one of his “stories” that just turned out to be his latest favorite joke. (“She was standing at the ATM and asked me to check her balance, so I gave her a shove!”) He also loved to tell his age, but with a math riddle (“In 13 years I’ll be 50 for the 2nd time”). Never shy to share his love, his family will forever cherish his parting “I love you more.” Gene passed away suddenly on Saturday, January 6, 2023, at his home in Omaha at the age of 87 years, 11 months, 25 days. Gene is preceded in death by his parents; son, Jim Loeffler; two sisters: Rosalee Loeffler and Carol Kochanowicz; and brother, Gilbert Loeffler. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Lucille of Omaha; sons: Wendall (Stephanie) Pascarelli of Yutan, and Mike (Lidia) Loeffler of Omaha; grandchildren: Alyssa (Andrew) Erwin, Thomas (Kayla) Pascarelli of Yutan, Alison (Ben) Baldwin, and Mark Loeffler of Omaha; step-grandchildren: Irvin, Uriel and Alondra Hernandez of Omaha, 6 other grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters Kinley Loeffler and Ainsley Baldwin, and many other relatives and friends.

Eugene Francis "Gene" Loeffler

January 12, 1936 - January 6, 2024