Gene E. Brong

Mar 25, 1930-May 23, 2010

Papillion, NE. Preceded in death by Parents Clinton and Estella (Brush) Brong, Survived by wife Jo; daughter Deb J. Brong, Kenmore, WA; son and daughter-in-law Jeff and Jill Brong, La Vista, NE; daughter and son-in-law Robin and Les Lenz, Papillion, NE; granddaughters Casey F. Lenz and Stephanie R. Seewald; brother Sidney E. Brong, Indianapolis, IN.

The Family to receive friends Tuesday June 1, 2010, 10AM to 11AM at the Faith Presbyterian Church, 8100 Giles RD, LaVista, NE, with a Memorial Service to follow at 11AM. Private Interment. In lieu of flowers, Memorials to Faith Presbyterian Church, Papillion Area Concert Band, or the American Cancer Society, Full Military Honors by Offutt Honor Guard

KAHLER DOLCE

441 N. WASHINGTON ST

Papillion, NE 339-3232

Gene E. Brong was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Gene was born on March 25, 1930 at Marshfield Hospital in Marshfield, Wisconsin. His parents were Clinton Brong and Estella Brush. Gene was raised in Rib Lake, WI. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Brong household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Gene was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Gene grew up with his only sibling, his older brother Sidney Brong. Gene was constantly involved in activities with his brother. Gene and Sid may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Gene was always consistently loyal to his family and the lifelong bond with Sid has been steadfast and constant to the end of his days.

As a young child, Gene was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Gene developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Gene really enjoyed ice-skating. In his spare time he liked to play the trumpet. However, what Gene enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Gene as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Williamsport High School in 1948. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was orchestra. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Gerald Kehler, the leader of the Dance Band. Gene was a member of the Williamsport High School Band and one of his first gigs was playing in "The Melody Busters" band. Gene was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Gene always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Gene handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Gene was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Gene was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Gene well during his college experience. Gene earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Retail Marketing at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. His favorite professor was James Shaeffer. Gene was the Band Business manager. Gene and the band played a variety of venues including dances, weddings, high school proms and college fraternity events from Penn State to Bucknell.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Gene was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Gene was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Gene to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. Gene maintained ties with many friends over the years including high school classmate Bud & Joan Rousseau of Bellevue, NE. Gene and Jo attended several high school class reunions over the years and even went to Lycoming College class reunions as well. Gene has cultivated some dear and valuable friendships, which included musicians, members of his church family and long time family friends.

Gene was lucky enough to marry his high school sweetheart, Josephine Babcock, on February 4, 1956 at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. Jo played the violin in the school orchestra and in Gene's own words "God spoke to us and we got married". He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment.

Gene brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Gene was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Gene and Jo were blessed with three children, son Jeffrey Clinton and two daughters Deborah Jo and Robin Estelle. They were also blessed with two grandchildren, Casey Faylene and Stephanie Ray.

Gene greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Gene enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Gene was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was a tireless, dedicated worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. Gene served his country for 20 honorable years in the United States Air Force as a Navigator Bombardier. He also went on to enjoy a career with Computer Science Corp (later known as Enron) and also with Northern Natural Gas. Gene worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Gene proudly served his country in the United States Air Force. He received his wings at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, TX and also served at Lowry AFB in Denver, CO where he attended Bombardier "Gunny" School, Randolph AFB in San Antonio, TX , where he was trained by WWII pilot Sigmund Lunceford. Gene saw action in the Korean War. He was stationed in Yokota, Japan. He was a Flight Photo Navigator at that time and flew top secret missions. During these days of war two RB29 bombers and one RB50 were shot down over Russia. While stationed in Japan Gene actually had his trombone shipped to Japan to play in the Japanese Big Band at the Officers Club. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of LT Colonel. He received praise for his valor, including being awarded the USAF Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service in 1968, Outstanding Unit Award with the 301st Bombardment Wing and please let's not forget the award bestowed upon him by his crew members at SAC- The Brong Ain't Wrong Award. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Gene seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

Gene liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Gene always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. Gene loved to read, learn and share his knowledge. He loved to travel, pursue his passion for music and cook. Gene was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Gene found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Gene was a sport spectator and liked swimming. Recreational sports included bowling. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list of sports to attend or catch on TV were golf, football, baseball and the Olympics. Gene was a huge fan of Little League World Series held in his hometown of Williamsport, PA.

Many organizations were grateful to have Gene as a member, since he always brought with him a vast reservoir of knowledge and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Gene was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Gene was a member of the Jerry Kehler Band. In college, Gene joined the Business Fraternity. Throughout his later years, Gene was an active member of the Nebraska Wind Symphony, PAC and and the Military Officers Association of America.

As a man who always showed great commitment to the things he believed in, it’s little wonder that Gene was so active in his community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, Gene preferred to base his decisions on first-hand experiences. Gene was never afraid to roll up his sleeves and dig right in. Politically, Gene was a supporter of the Republican Party.

Gene was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. As a youngster Gene was a member of First Methodist Church in Rib Lake, WI. where he was baptized on 4/23/1933 and later became a member of the Pine St. Methodist Church in Williamsport, PA. The past 27 years Gene has been a member of Faith Presbyterian Church in La Vista, NE. As a member of his beloved congregation at Faith Presbyterian Gene was involved with the Angel Tree gifts at Christmas, delivering donated gifts and goods to those less fortunate. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

Gene enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Gene appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Gene always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included exploring Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California, Washington and a cruise through the San Juan Islands. He enjoyed camping as well. Gene preferred to do the driving on most of the trips. He really enjoyed driving.

Gene was a lover of animals and was always amused by his pets, especially cats. He enjoyed an abundance of wildlife visitors to his home in Papillion.

Gene retired from the United States Air Force in 1972 as a Lt Col. He retired from Enron in 1985. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement and he was well prepared. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. His new life involved relocating to Papillion, NE. where he bought a new home. In retirement, he found new pleasure as a member of local musical groups including the Intergenerational Orchestra, PAC Band, the Nebraska Wind Symphony, Swingtones Big Band and Dixieland Band. Even in retirement, Gene continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and played his trombone with PAC Band, satisfying his love of music.

Gene E. Brong passed away on May 23, 2010 at Hillcrest Country Estates in Papillion NE. Gene's endured his final battle with cancer in a manner that can only be described as remarkable. He is survived by his beloved wife Jo, brother Sid, son Jeff, daughters Robin and Deb, son in law Les Lenz and daughter in law Jill and his nieces and nephews. The Memorial Service that celebrated Gene’s wonderful life was held at Faith Presbyterian Church in La Vista, NE. Gene was laid to rest at a later date in a National Veterans Cemetery.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Gene E. Brong. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was practical, generous and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. He was committed to giving and his generosity reached far and wide to people in need, to people he would never meet. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.