Gene L. Rader, BHS 1945

Gene L. Rader of Azalea, Oregon, passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, June 14, 2017, at the age of 89. Gene was born in Fairbury, Nebraska, in October of 1927.

At age three, Gene’s family moved to Burbank, California, during the Great Depression. He graduated from Burbank High School and became a Carpenter, then served in the Navy and was a veteran of WWII on the battleship New Jersey. He worked his way up from a Carpenter to General Superintendent of Construction with Zapata Diversified Builders and then Regional Manager of Construction in the Western States for Hospital Building & Equipment Co., where he retired in 1990. He was known for building everything from homes, apartment complexes, large commercial and government buildings, schools, libraries, and hospitals. He designed and built the home of his dreams on Upper Cow Creek in Azalea, Oregon, amid the Douglas fir trees, ferns and wildflowers, where he spent his retirement with family and friends.

Gene loved being on the water, boating and waterskiing, but his passion was fishing! He owned many boats in his lifetime and loved to take family and friends skiing and deep-sea fishing. His interests were hunting, fishing, waterskiing, golf, hot cars, baseball, football, his flowers, and dogs.

He was preceded in death by his ex-wives, Mary Bishop Rader and Doris Rader, as well as the love of his life, Jean Dahlin; his parents, Andrew and Ruth Irene Rader; sister, Marjorie Rader Seagraves; brother, Richard “Dick” Rader; niece, Sherre Seagraves; as well as all but one of his lifetime friends.

 

Gene leaves behind his daughter, Janet Rader Harwood (Bill) of Nashville, TN; son, James Rader (Cheryl) of Manteca, CA; grandson, Todd Forgie (Denise); great-grandson, John Forgie; grandchildren by marriage, Colleen Ethridge, Richard Cardona, Phillip Cardona and Marlene Popplewell; niece, Judith Rader Victorson (Bill); nephews, Veral Mack “Skip” Seagraves and Andrew Seagraves; and his lifetime best friend, William “Uncle Willy” Mayhugh (Dorothy).

At his request, there was no funeral or memorial service. A private Military Honors Ceremony was held at Mountain View Memorial Chapel for the immediate family on Wednesday, June 21, 2017, to honor his Naval service to our country and his ashes were scattered by the family on “his mountain”.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to The Wounded Warriors Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, or the charity of your choice.

THE NEWS-REVIEW, Roseburg, OR, Jun 26, 2017