Eugene "Gene" T. Becker

Eugene “Gene” Becker passed away unexpectedly, on Saturday, November 26th  at the age of 84 years.  He was a lifelong resident of Juneau, WI until 2014 when he moved to Beaver Dam.

Gene graduated from Juneau High School in 1950 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed as a Corpsman in Charleston, S.C., during the Korean Conflict. In 1953, Gene married his high school sweetheart, Julienne (Jo) Collard and in 1955 they moved back to Juneau where “Junior”, as he was known to family members and close friends, worked at his brother John’s Citgo service station.
 He supported his family strictly in commission sales for over 40 years, as a sales person with the American Baby Butler Company and then for Northland Beauty Supply in Green Bay and ended his career working for Reliable Beauty Supply.  Gene was known for the twinkle in his eye, his humor and his kindness and generosity.  Gene was a people person, always greeting strangers with a smile and a handshake.   He would do anything, for anyone, anytime and was the first to offer a helping hand. Gene loved to travel and every summer would load up the station wagon with his family (and often times with one of his nephews) so he could share with them his passion for travel and the opportunity to experience it firsthand.  His love of cross country trips didn’t stop when Gene became a grandfather as he and Jo continued to take trips with their grandchildren often visiting the same places.

Gene’s strong Catholic faith drew him to become involved in the Immaculate Conception Catholic (Juneau) church and most recently in the St. John the Baptist (Clyman) church where he served as an usher.  One of the highlights of his travels was a trip to Rome and the Vatican that he and Jo took to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

Gene’s was instrumental and worked tirelessly in getting the Dodgeland referendum passed and was never shy about sharing his opinions on how things “should” be.  Gene served many years on the Dodgeland Schoolboard and was committed to seeing the future growth of the district.  Gene and Jo also hosted two American Foreign Students (AFS) students, Yoshihisa (Yocchan) Tamura from Japan and Y’nes Coiscou from the Dominican Republic and remained close to them.

In Gene’s retirement years, he participated in the Badger Honor Flight Wisconsin to be recognized for his service to our country, spent the winter months in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and “worked” for both his youngest son Michael and his grandson Mark Murphy as a process server.As the patriarch of a large family, Gene enjoyed taking care of others and watching his grandchildren grow up.  Gene touched many lives and will be remembered for his mischievous grin, the spring in his step, and his devotion to his family. When you get there, we’ll be waiting for you to, “Call and let it ring once.” 

Gene is survived by his loving children, Brenda Murphy of Beaver Dam, Nancy (Karl) Stubenvoll of Fish Creek, Mary Jo (John) Vangrinsven of Appleton, Mark (Nancy) Becker of Appleton, Marcy Becker of Appleton, Michael (Laura) Becker of Hortonville, 10 precious grandchildren, his sisters Bernadine Budde of Beaver Dam, Kathryn Puls of Beaver Dam.  Gene is preceded in death by his wife Julienne Becker, his sisters Margaret Ann Richards, Eugenia Utrie, and his brother John M. Becker.

Visitation is Friday, December 2, from 4-8 p.m. at the Berndt-Ledesma Funeral Home-Juneau 150 W. Oak Grove Street.  Recitation of the rosary will be at 7:30.  Visitation will also be Saturday, from 10-11 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Clyman.  Mass of Resurrection will follow at 11:00 a.m. Interment Immaculate Conception Cemetery Juneau.

Memorials may be directed to the Dodgeland School District-the specific group is yet to be decided.

The Berndt-Ledesma Funeral Home-Juneau is serving the family.

www.berndt-ledesma.com

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