Gene Lewallen

Alton Gene Lewallen, age 93, was born May 20, 1924 in Colby, Kansas.  Gene passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 26, 2017, in Hospice care with family present.

     Gene was the third of four children born to Alfred and Bonnie Lewallen of Colby.  Alfred died when Gene was young.  Bonnie married Bill Crownover and they made their home and built their business in Oakley, Kansas.  Gene graduated from Oakley High School in 1943 before serving as a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Corps for 2 years.  After his military service, he attended school in Chicago for drafting.  He then married Betty Leigh Trego on March 28, 1948.  They moved to Pueblo, Colorado where he was employed at Colorado Fuel and Iron Company as a draftsman until after the birth of their first child, Wayne. 

     Gene and Betty moved back to Oakley, where they made their home and raised 4 children:  Wayne, Warren, Wilma (Sue) and Wendy.  He put them all through college and each became a teacher.  They were members of the Oakley United Methodist Church.  Gene worked until retirement in their family business at Crownover Insurance and Trailer Sales and Service.  He was active in Band through school and played tenor sax in the Bob Burger Band, traveling and playing locally.  He also played bugle for military funerals.

     After Gene’s retirement, they enjoyed traveling in their motorhome, and many family activities in Colorado and Oregon, where their grown children and 2 grandchildren live.  Betty passed away in March, 2009, and Gene spent 7 more years in his home until he moved to Canon City, Colorado to live near his two daughters and grandsons.  Gene enjoyed working on Volkswagens and dune buggies in his spare time as well as fishing, attending car and horse races, car shows, and performing and listening to live music. 

     Preceding him in death were his mother, father, and step-father; brothers Ross and Lewis, and younger sister Marylea, all of Oakley.

Gene is survived by son Wayne (Priscilla)Lewallen of Dallas, OR; son Warren Lewallen of Oakley; daughters Wilma Sue (Bob) Schuckert, Wendy (Rudi) Hofmann and grandsons Logan and Hans Hofmann, all of Canon City. 

     Memorial services for Gene will be Saturday, October 7, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at the Oakley United Methodist Church with a graveside service to follow at the Oakley Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to:  Sangre de Cristo Hospice, 601 Greenwood Ave., Canon City, CO 81212 and Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, 230 E. Ohio St., Suite 500, Chicago IL 60611.

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