Roll Call Tribute

Gene Marion Geer

October 1, 1919 - December 3, 2020

Gene Marion Geer was born October 1, 1919 in Westminster, Texas to Carl Willis and Avis Carmichael Geer. He passed away on December 3, 2020 at age 101 in McKinney, Texas. He is survived by his wife of 78 years, Pauline Anne Palermo Geer; they were married March 7, 1942 in Bryan, Texas. He is also survived by three children: Sherry Kay Williams of McKinney; Marsha Lynn Landers and husband, Ben, of Cove, Texas; Bruce Elliot Geer and wife, Debbie, of Allen, Texas. He is also survived by eight grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren, and four great great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by sister Shirley Geer Wallis and two brothers, Anthony L. Geer and Carl Ed Geer.

Gene attended high school in McKinney Texas, graduating in 1937. He then went on to college at Texas A&M and studied Civil Engineering and land surveying. He graduated in 1942.

During WWII Gene worked in the defense effort through his involvement with the design and testing of many items in our war arsenal, such as, LSTs, Landing ShipTank, radar and avionics, and gun mounts for the 50 cal machine guns for the P51 Mustang and B-24. He won a contest to write a slogan that would hang in the factory floor area to spur on workers to achieve greater production. The slogan was “LSTs to Hit the Seas”. His career included design and construction of roads, bridges, homes, shopping centers and freeway overpasses. His biggest construction project was the grain elevators and barge terminal on the Mississippi River at the Port of New Orleans. His surveying jobs included anything from individual residential lots to a five thousand acre plantation that bordered near the Mississippi River. He did work for some famous people and was liked by them.

Gene's favorite pastimes included meeting his buddies at Bill Smith's Cafe for breakfast and then out to the country shooting range for target practice on Sunday mornings, whittling wood stocks for gravel shooters, making walking canes from wood found in the field and collecting pocket knives. He liked to “go walk about”, a term he learned while on a trip to Australia. He enjoyed world travel with his wife, Polly. They traveled on Pan Am to Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Hawaii, Singapore and Bangkok usually in First Class or Business Class, benefits of having a daughter working for Pan Am.

He kept his Civil Engineer's and Land Surveyor's licenses up to date. He completed his continuing education hours for 2021. He worked up until the day he passed away.

Published by Star Local Media from Dec. 15 to Dec. 21, 2020.