The late Edward Schlumpberger and Florence Schlumpberger were Gene’s parents, and he was born in Little Falls, Minnesota. It was four months after his 18th birthday when he entered in the United States Air Force, four months after he graduated from Little Falls High School in 1956.
During his time in the military, he served our country with honour in Germany, Turkey, Pakistan, and England as a specialist in wire and antenna systems. He received a discharge with honour in the year 1960.
During his time with the Little Falls Cable Company, he was responsible for the maintenance of cable towers. Gene earned his education from the University of Minnesota General College as well as the Brown Institute in Medical Electronics.
Together with his brother Emmy, Gene relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, in the year 1963. Gene was able to secure a position at the Videon Television Service, which is located in Kansas City. In order to be with him, Catherine (Cathy) Karnowski, who was going to be his wife in the near future, relocated from Little Falls to Kansas City.
Marriage took place between Gene and Cathy on September 28th, 1963 in the city of Kansas City. In 1964, they relocated back to Minnesota and made their home in Golden Valley. There, they brought up three children: two sons and a girl. In addition to his profession as a TV Technician at Spot TV Services, Gene also held the position of Master Technician at Dayton’s Electronic Services. A few years later, he was able to secure a position as a courier with Park Nicollet Health Systems.
Gene placed his family’s needs ahead of his own and enjoyed spending time with them. His children and grandchildren were often in need of his assistance, and he was frequently regarded as a father figure by those around him. He was extremely generous. He volunteered his time for seventeen years to assist his children with a variety of paper delivery routes.
Besides spending time with his family, Gene enjoyed a variety of activities, such as riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, repairing automobiles and technological devices, going camping, listening to music, gardening, and striking up genuine conversations with anyone and everyone. As a result of his hilarious and memorable “one-liners,” which have become a part of his legacy, he had the best laugh in the world!
