Eugene Frederick Engelke was a loving husband, father, and grandfather who always put his family first; a devoted friend; a U.S. Army veteran; an aerospace engineer; a handyman extraordinaire; and an antique car enthusiast. He died on Feb. 28, 2018, at home in North Palm Beach surrounded by his beloved family. He was 87.
Gene was born in Huntington, Long Island, NY, on March 4, 1930 to parents Carl and Helen. He was raised in St. Petersburg, FL, graduating from St. Petersburg High in 1948. Always the adventurer, Gene took motorcycle trips across the country as a teen-ager and later took his young family on many cross-country car trips, visiting Yellowstone and other national parks along the way. In later years, he enjoyed annual cruises with his family and annual family reunions at Sanibel Island.
Gene served as an Army Heavy Weapons Battalion Sergeant in Korea, earning a Bronze Star. When he returned from the war he took flying lessons at Albert Whitted Airfield in St. Petersburg. He became a small plane flight instructor. He married Barbara Rush on Sept. 11, 1954. They had two children, Charles Eugene and Carolyn Alys.
Gene graduated from the University of Florida in 1961 and worked nearly 30 years at Pratt and Whitney United Technology as an Aerospace Engineer. The engines he worked on took men to the moon.
Gene was a true giver. He was a modest peacemaker who stopped whatever he was doing to help anyone who asked. His widowed sister, Evelyn Dahlberg (JoJo to family), always had a list for him; his tool chest was always at the ready. There wasn’t anything Gene couldn’t build, repair, or restore. He restored a prize-winning antique motorcycle and a 1950 Plymouth sedan. He almost finished a 1941 Cadillac Convertible until illness prevented completion.
After the death of Barbara in 1999, Gene met Sally Boetel, also a widow, at a bereavement group meeting. They married in 2001 and enjoyed years of dancing, entertaining at home, and family outings. Gene belonged to several antique car clubs, enjoying the caravan trips around the state at 40 miles per hour, stopping traffic as they went.
Gene leaves to mourn him his wife, Sally, children Charlie and his wife Laurie, and Carolyn and her son Ian, stepchildren Joy and husband Peter, Kyle and wife Cyndi, Rae Ellen and husband Paul; seven grandchildren, Ian, Timothy, Bryan, Taylor, Renee, Marissa and Kacey; and one great-grandchild Brennan. He also had four nieces who adored him, Nancy, Susie, Lori and Mary, and great nieces and nephews Conor, Sara, Caroline, Faith, Sean and Sophie.
Family, friends, and neighbors are invited to an open house to celebrate his life at 612 Pilot Road, North Palm Beach, on Sunday, March 4, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. A private ceremony for family will be at a later date in St. Petersburg.
Those who wish to remember him are encouraged to donate to Trustbridge Hospice of West Palm Beach 5300 East Avenue, West Palm Beach, Florida 33407 or the St. Petersburg High School Class of 1948 Scholarship Fund under the auspices of Dennison Rusinow Memorial Scholarship, Pinellas Community Foundation, 5200 East Bay Drive, Suite 202, Clearwater, FL 33764.
