Eugene Virgil Adams, 93 of Virginia Beach passed away peacefully on Friday Feb,15, 2019. Gene was born on March 21, 1925 in Monrovia Liberia West Africa of American Methodist Missionary parents, the late Charles Virgil Adams and Myrta Mae Adams M.D. His brother, the late Richard Charles Adams was also born in Africa. Following the mission in Africa, the family moved to Union Furnace, Ohio.
Following the early death of his Father in June 1940, Gene completed his high school at Columbia Military Academy in Tennessee where he was the school bugler. Due to the country being at war, Gene signed up for Naval Aviation during the spring of his senior year in 1943 at Columbia. In July 1943 he entered the Navy as an aviator and became a Corsair fighter pilot. During 1946-1947 he was assigned to VBF-74 Fighting Cavaliers Corsair Fighter Squadron USS Midway Oceana in Virginia Beach.
Gene met his wife; the late Hazel Edwards Adams from Atlantic, NC in Virginia Beach while he was stationed at Oceana. Hazel was a nurse at St. Vincent-DePaul Hospital in Norfolk where she had gone through the Navel Nursing Program there during WWII. They were married in Talbot Park Baptist Church in Norfolk on December 6th 1947.
After 5 years of service he became a registered pharmacist in Cincinnati, Ohio where they lived for 12 years in Newtown and Mt Carmel and where twin boys and a daughter were born. The family moved to Thoroughgood in Virginia Beach in 1959 where he went to work for Peoples Drugstores as a pharmacist. When the Haygood Shopping Center Peoples Drugstore (now Rite Aid) opened on Independence Blvd. in the early 1970s, has was assigned as the manager/pharmacist for a number of years. He retired from CVS Drugstores who bought out many Peoples Drugstores in the area.
He lived for 60 years in Thoroughgood. Hazel passed away on November 10, 2014. They celebrated 67 years of marriage.
Gene loved his family, his faith, and his country. He attended Baylake United Methodist Church. He loved Ford Model Ts, he owned 4 of them.
He is survived by their three children, twins Eugene (Gene) Charles Adams (spouse Claire) & Russell Howard Adams (spouse Kate), and daughter Peggy Tharp (spouse Lewis). Also surviving are 3 grandchildren, Season, Shalyn, and Russell; and 5 great grandchildren, Daniel, Peri, Alexander, Blake, and Ava.
The family will receive friends on Friday, February 22, 2019 from 10:00 - 11:00 AM at Rosewood-Kellum Funeral Home with a funeral service beginning at 11:00 AM. Burial will be private.
