Gene E. Naue

Gene was born in Indianapolis to Elmer and Anna Naue on December 27, 1939. He was a lifelong resident of Franklin Township and graduated from Franklin Central High School. He married Barbara Naue on June 30, 1973. He worked as a long-haul truck driver for Roadway Express for 30 years before retiring in 2006. During his tenure at Roadway, he earned several milestone recognitions including the 1 Million, 2 Million and 3 Million accident-free driver awards. Gene was never one to be idle. After his retirement he started and ran a commercial lawncare business for 3 years, worked part time delivering for CarQuest and worked several years at Jacob Deitz Fire Protection. In his earlier years he was a competitive motorcross hill climber, winning numerous tournaments and events. His love of motorcycles was renewed later in life when he purchased a Harley Sportster at age 74, which he rode into his 80s. Gene enjoyed going to garage sales, antiquing and bargain hunting. To that end, he became a licensed Auctioneer in 1994. He worked for Terry Royalty Auctions for many years doing estate auctions around central Indiana. Gene was a lover of music, especially traditional country music and bluegrass. His love of these genres lead him to learn to play the banjo and the dobro. He was an avid NASCAR fan and enjoyed watching college basketball.

He is preceded in death by his parents Elmer and Anna Naue, his half siblings Norman Naue and Beatrice Schilling and his wife, Barbara Naue.

Gene is survived by his children Shane Naue, Rhonda (Jim) Crisman, Jeff Naue and Liz Grimes. He is also survived by his step children Mark Owensby, Jeanine Owensby, Diane Owensby, Patricia Owensby and Mike Owensby as well as many grand children and great grandchildren.

A public visitation will be held from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on February 26, 2026 at Little & Sons Funeral Home, located at 4901 E Stop Eleven Road, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46237.

The funeral service will take place at the same venue on February 27, 2026, starting at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation at www.parkinson.org