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Note: GENE WAS BORN IN JESUP, GA, WAYNE COUNTY . HIS PARENTS MOVED TO BLAKELY WHEN HE WAS ABOUT SEVEN (7) YEARS OF AGE. HE ATTENDED SCHOOL IN BLAKELY GRADUATING FROM EARLY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL. HE GRADUATED FROM GEORGIA SOUTH- WESTERN COLLEGE IN 1979 WITH A MAJOR IN BUSINESS AND A MINOR IN CHEMESTRY. AND MOVED TO ATLANTA GA TO WORK FOR ACE HARDWARE CO.HE MET JOYCE YVONNE HOLLAND WHILE IN COLLEGE AND 1980 THEY WERE MARRIED AT THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. PHILLIP, ATLANTA GA. GENE WORKED FOR HILTI TOOL AS A SALESMAN AND THEN FOR W. C. CAYE. GENE BECAME AN EPISCOPALIAN AFTER HIS MARRIAGE AND WAS PRESENTED FOR CONFIRMATION BY REV. HUNT COMER FROM THE CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL'S AND ALL ANGELS IN STONE MOUNTAIN. I DO NOT THINK HIS MAMA EVER FORGAVE HIM FOR LEAVING THE BAPTIST CHURCH. MINE NEVER FORGAVE ME EITHER FOR LEAVING THE BAPTIST CHURCH. GENE WAS A LOVING CARING AND GIVING PERSON. HE WAS A UNIQUE PERSON THAT HE LOVED YOU AND YOU COULD NOT KEEP FROM LOVING HIM BACK. HE WAS A LOVING AND CARING SON, A LOVING AND CARING HUSBAND, LOVING AND CARING FATHER, AND A LOVING AND CARING SON-IN-LAW, WE LOVED HIM LIKE A SON AND GENE JUST LOVED US BACK. HE AND DAVID WERE AS CLOSE AS BROTHERS AND THEY BOTH LOVED EACH OTHER DEARLY. DAVID HAD KNOWN GENE 20 YEARS WHEN HE DIED AND HIS GRIEF WAS SO GREAT THAT HE SAID" IT TOOK ME 20 YEARS TO GET HERE MAYBE IN 20 YEARS I WILL FEEL BETTER." WHAT A TRIBUTE FROM ONE MAN TO ANOTHER. GENE DIED FROM AN AIR EMBOLISIUM DUE TO SURFACING TOO QUCIKLY WHILE ON A DIVING TRIP TO MARIANNA, FLA. GENE WAS AN EXPREIENCED DIVER AND HAD BEEN DIVING BETWEEN FIFTEEN & TWENTY YEARS. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO CAUSE HIM TO SURFACE TOO QUICKLY. GENE WAS 41 YEARS OF AGE AT TIME OF DEATH. GENE WAS A UNIQUE PERSON IN THAT ANYONE WHO MET HIM ALWAYS SPOKE OF HIS HONESTY, POLITENESS, INTEGRITY AND CARING. GENE, HAD THE CHARECTERISTICS FOR IMMORTALITY. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT BUILD, CONSCIOUS, COURAGE, & CHARACTER. THEY ARE HANDED DOWN TO YOUR CHILDREN AND ON DOWN THE LINE. GEME ALWAYS TOOK HIS DAUGHTER LINDSAY TO SOFTBALL PRACTICE, HORSEBACK RIDING, RODEOS, TRACTOR PULLS, CONCERTS, MONSTER TRUCK SHOWS AND ANYWHERE ELSE SHE MIGHT WANT TO GO, WHEN BLAKE WAS BORN GENE TOOK HIM WITH THEM EVERYTIME THEY WENT. WHEN LINDSAY WAS A BABY AND WOULD NOT SLEEP THEY WOULD PLACE HER ON A PILLOW AND HE WOULD HOLD HER ON HIS LAP AND RUB HER BACK TO GET HER TO GO TO SLEEP. SOMETIME IT WORKED AND SOMETIME IT DID NOT. HE PLAYED BALL WITH LINDSAY FROM THE TIME SHE WAS BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD A BAT AND AFTER SHE GOT BIG ENOUGH TO PLAY HE TOOK HER TO SOFTBALL PRACTICE. HE PLAYED BALL WITH BLAKE FROM THE TIME HE WAS BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD A BAT BUT DID NOT GET TO SEE HIM PLAY. HE LOVED THE WATER AND HAD A BOAT FROM THE TIME HE WAS 16 YRS. MOST KIDS BUY CARS WHEN THEY GO TO WORK. NOT GENE, HE BOUGHT A BOAT. HE LOVED WATER SKING AND HE AND DAVID WOULD PUT ON THEIR WET SUITS AND GO WATER SKING IN FEBRUARY. HE TAUGHT LINDSAY TO SKI AND TO LOVE THE WATER ALSO. BLAKE WAS NOT OLD ENOUGH. HE LIKED TO HUNT AND HE AND DAVID WOULD GO DEER HUNTING EACH WINTER. GENE ACTUALLY SHOT A DEER ONE HUNTING TRIP. YOU HAD TO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAID AROUND GENE ABOUT HAVING A PROJECT AROUND THE HOUSE AS HE WOULD JUST APPEAR TO HELP. YOU DID NOT HAVE TO ASK HIM HE WOULD JUST SHOW UP SAID HE HEARD SOMETHING WAS GOING ON AND THOUGHT HE MIGHT BETTER SEE WHAT IT WAS. HIS MAMA AND DADDY SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD, WE CERTAINLY WERE PROUD TO HAVE KNOWN HIM AND TO HAVE HAD HIM BE OUR SON-IN-LAW AND TO BE A PART OF OUR FAMILY FOR 17 YEARS. NO-ONE COULD HAVE ASKED FOR A FINER PERSON TO HAVE KNOWN AND LOVED OR BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH. GENE HAD ONE BROTHER, LARRY,WHO LIVED LIVED IN SNELLVILLE. HIS GRANDPARENTS-MATERNAL-SANDERS AND PATERNAL-FUSSELL, LIVED IN MACON GA. SHIRLEY DERRICK HOLLAND-MOTHER-IN-LAW 19998
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