C. Eugene Settle

C. Eugene (Gene) Settle passed away on February 8, 2026. His 85 years were guided by the philosophy to “choose life,” while engaging in the work of tikkun olam (repairing the world) in his singular way. He was known for his beautiful smile, wit, quirky humor, warmth, intelligence, and life-long passion for education.

Gene was born January 24, 1941, in Tucson, Arizona, and raised as an only child on a small family farm. When his father became a florist, Gene continued to assist whenever he could. Growing up, Gene played baseball and the double bass, performing as one of the youngest members of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra as a high schooler. He served in the Air Force from 1961 to 1967 where he trained at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, San Antonio, Texas, as a cytotechnologist.

He moved to the Denver, Colorado, area where he married and started a family, raising his children Amber and Chad. The family returned to Tucson in the early 1970s to the Settle family “homestead,” living in a house next door to his parents, where his first wife and children continued to live after they divorced. He worked full-time while earning a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Colorado and a Master of Science degree at the University of Arizona.

Gene found the love of his life, Patty, in the late 1970s. They moved to Kansas City in the early 1980s, married, and had a daughter, Jaime. They built a life together rich in relationships cultivated with family and friends. Gene never gave up his dream of pursuing a career in academia and in 1989, he made the difficult decision to move his family back to Tucson to finish what he’d started: a Ph.D. in Plant Genetics. He defended his dissertation in 1993 at age 52, and in 1999 secured a full-time appointment at the University of Arizona College of Medicine’s Department of Physiology, where he taught until 2016. In 2015, he was awarded the highest honor bestowed by students upon a professor: The 5-Star Teaching Award.

In 2017, Gene and Patty moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, to be closer to Jaime. In retirement, Gene finally had time to immerse himself in his hobbies: listening to classical music and curating the materials in his extensive library. A lifelong “Westerner,” Gene grew to love and appreciate the East Coast, especially his wonderful new friendships. He faced numerous major health challenges in these years with trademark courage, resilience, and a mindset guided by what he could do, not what he couldn’t. His caretakers in this era report he never stopped teaching. Sadly, his ninth life as a “puma” ended in the early hours of February 8th when he passed peacefully in the arms of his wife.

Gene is preceded in death by his mother Florence (Wilcox) and father J.C. Settle. He is survived by his wife of 43 years Patty Settle; his children Amber (Andre Berthiaume), Chad (Noelle), and Jaime (Michael Draeger); grandchildren Jack Settle, Eva Settle, Charlotte Settle, and Cyrus Draeger; and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Julie (Greg) Sizemore, and their family.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to your local National Public Radio station, the University of Arizona’s Arizona Assurance Program scholarship fund, or a cause important to you.