GENE DALTON MCCARROLL
GENE MCCARROLL Obituary
Gene Dalton McCarroll, 90, passed away Friday, January 15, 2021 at his home in DeKalb, Illinois. Gene was born April 13, 1930 in Black Rock, Arkansas to George and Mary Pearl McCarroll, and was the youngest of six children.
He graduated from the eighth grade in 1945 and as there was no high school near enough to his home to attend, he instead worked on his father’s farm until enlisting in the United States Army on January 5, 1949, where he spent the next year as an Aircraft Wing Specialist. Upon his Honorable Discharge on January 6, 1950, he returned home to Arkansas for a brief time and then traveled north to Tipton, Indiana where he worked on the railroad. Shortly thereafter, he moved to DeKalb, Illinois and met his beautiful bride-to-be Helen Mae McCue in 1953 while working at the J.V. Patten Company in Sycamore, Illinois. As a secretary in the front office, Helen had her pick of the handsome young men who passed her desk daily, but she set her cap for Gene and they married two years later on September 2, 1955 at the Methodist Church Parsonage in Maple Park, Illinois.
After settling into married life, Gene began working for Barber Greene/Caterpillar in DeKalb, Illinois in 1961 as a machinist, until his retirement 40 years later. His best work-related memory was of partaking in a Barber Greene sponsored outing to Wrigley Field in the early 1970s to watch his beloved St. Louis Cardinals beat the pants off the Chicago Cubs. As the only Cards fan on the bus, he was lucky to get a ride back to DeKalb after the game. Upon retirement, Gene enjoyed reading, whiling away the hours on his iPad and PC, listening to bluegrass music, teaching himself lap steel guitar (but only after Helen passed away, for she wouldn’t have put up with listening to that while alive), watching the trains roll on by at the Rochelle, IL Train Park, looking forward to Saturday morning coffee at Anderson Funeral Home with Dick, Barry, Al, Earl and the rest of the boys, visiting with his dear friend Don Davis, being taught by Helen to play Rummy, War and other card games at which he was a sore loser and enjoying visits from his grandchildren. His most memorable vacations included visiting the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, attending a Denver Broncos football game, touring the Air Force Academy and Coors Brewery in Colorado, as well as the Gateway Arch and Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri. Being that Old Milwaukee was the only beer he ever drank, those brewery tours’ samples were nectar of the gods to Gene. In 2011 he was recognized as a Life Member of the DeKalb, Illinois Lodge 586 Loyal Order of Moose for 50 years of service.
Gene is survived by his devoted daughters and spouses, Elaine Suitts; Debbie (Adrian) Plapp; Beth (Chris) Bowman; the grandchildren he adored, Jessica Riippi; Emily, Kendall and Claire Plapp; and Evan Suitts; and numerous nieces and nephews who he didn’t see often enough, but loved so much. Gene was preceded in death by his wife Helen, who he loved so very dearly and missed so desperately after her death; his parents; his brothers Charles (in infancy), Marshall and Edward; and his sisters Mildred Evans and Melba East.
A graveside service including full military honors will be held on Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at Elmwood Cemetery in Sycamore, Illinois with Pastor William Mills officiating. Pallbearers will be Chris Bowman, Everett Lee Elshoff, Adrian Plapp, Emily Plapp, Jessica Riippi and Evan Suitts. Additionally, a Celebration of Life will be held at Gene’s church, Bethel Assembly of God, Sycamore, Illinois on Saturday, February 27, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Both events will follow CDC-mandated Covid-19 guidelines.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Gene's name may be made to Bethel Assembly of God, Sycamore, Illinois or the DeKalb, Illinois Lodge 586 Loyal Order of Moose.
For information, visit www.AndersonFuneralHomeLtd.com or call 815-756-1022.
Graveside Service
Thursday, January 21, 2021
1:00 PM
901 S. Cross Street
Sycamore, Illinois 60178
Celebration of Life
Saturday, February 27, 2021
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
131 W Elm St
Sycamore, Illinois 60178
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