Eugene "Gene" G. McElroy, Jr.

Eugene Gideon McElroy, Jr, “Gene”, of Vestavia Hills, AL, passed away peacefully and of natural causes on Thursday, June 19th, 2025. He was surrounded by his loving family. Gene was born February 28, 1934, in Birmingham, AL and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1952. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.S. degree in Commerce and Business Administration in 1957. He was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, the Red Elephant Club, Vestavia Country Club and Southminster Presbyterian Church.

Keeping with the tradition of his father and others in his family, after graduation he went to work for U.S. Steel in the Wire Products division. He was first employed by U.S. Steel in 1953 when, at the age of 19, he worked as a boiler laborer for the Tennessee Coal and Iron Division. That same year he left to attend the University of Alabama. His successful sales career took him and his family to Memphis, TN in 1964 and Little Rock, AR in 1966. He spent many days on the road selling steel products all over the state of Arkansas until his success eventually brought him back to Birmingham, AL in 1976. In 1982, he was promoted to District Sales Manager, Southwest District and relocated with his wife to Dallas, TX. He retired from U.S. Steel in 1994 after 37 years of service. He and his wife remained in Dallas until 2001 when they returned to Birmingham to be close to family and friends.

Gene was adventurous and had a passion for travel. Throughout the years, he and his wife traveled throughout the U.S. and the world, journeying to Europe, Egypt, Turkey, Russia, Central and South America and the Galapagos; he was an avid golfer, and he learned to sail and scuba dive and did so all over the Caribbean and the West Indies. He always had an artistic side, and in retirement he took up painting, creating beautiful pieces for the family to cherish. His other passion was music. He loved big band, jazz and blues and there was rarely a day when music wasn’t playing in his home.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene Gideon, Sr. and Louise Brown McElroy of Fairfield, AL and his wife, Janice Alverson McElroy. He is survived by his beloved daughters, Laura McElroy Horton (Mike) and Leigh McElroy Paeschke (Tim), both of Vestavia Hills, AL; his brother, William Brown McElroy (Beverly), Charleston, WV; nieces Heather McElroy Butler (Jeff) and their children, Emma and Jack, of Fincastle, VA; and Claire McElroy and daughter, Ruby, of Bellingham, WA; sister-in-law Marilyn Alverson Gross (Michael) of Vestavia Hills, AL; and nieces Jennifer Gross Chapman (Charles), Buena Vista, CO, and Elizabeth Gross, Vestavia Hills, AL.

A memorial service will be held a later date and will be announced. The family will cherish your memories of Gene on his ridoutsvalleychapel.com page. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him.