Eugene J. Nonnon "Gene"

"Gene” Eugene Joseph Nonnon, a devoted patriarch and longtime resident of the Town of Babylon, passed away peacefully, at age 97, on Sept 24, 2025, in Towson, MD, with many loving family members by his side.

Gene was born in The Bronx, NY, on April 18, 1928, to Eugene and Rose Nonnon. He was the fourth of five siblings—before him were his dear sisters Madeline, Rose, and Irene. At age 14, Gene and his family welcomed a new baby sister—Barbara Jean (now a Dominican nun—“Sister Bernadette Nonnon”).

Gene attended Cardinal Hayes HS. Later he attended college at the USMMA at Kings Point—an education that provided worldwide travel to many ports, and sparked a lifelong love for sailing the seas.

He met his 14-year-old neighborhood sweetheart and schoolmate, “Evie” (Evelyn Clasen), in 1944; he was just 16. The two loved big bands, singing and dancing, and attended many parish balls together.

They were married at their shared parish—OLA, in The Bronx, in May of 1951, and then moved to Newport News, VA, while he served in the Navy.

He shared nearly 70 wonderful years of marriage with his late wife, Evie. Together they enjoyed a rich social life, played tennis, and sailed the Great South Bay on their sailboat—“Starduster”. Gene was a member of the South Bay Cruising Club and served as Commodore of the Long Island Yacht Club in the 1980s. Gene also was very instrumental in starting the Mayor’s Cup Sailing Race/Regatta on the South Shore of Long Island.

Gene dedicated 40 years to a distinguished career at Honeywell Inc., where, as project manager, he proudly oversaw the design of the heating/cooling systems for the World Trade Center. Never idle, he later enjoyed successful second careers, first in real estate, alongside Evie, and then as an engineer for the NYS Parks Dept., a position he loved and held well into his 80’s.

In the early 2000’s, Gene and Evie moved from their beloved North Babylon home to the Harbor Club Apartments, in W. Babylon, NY. It was then that they purchased a condo in Stuart, FL. There they met and enjoyed many fellow ‘snowbird’ friends, played cards, attended parties and dances, and Gene played an occasional round on the condo’s golf course.

In his elder years/his most recent years, after recovering from a complicated jaw replacement surgery, Gene was very ‘computer busy’ – constantly investigating and updating the “Nonnon Family Tree”. And, as the USMMA‘s Class of 1950 Representative, he enjoyed the steady task of writing the USMMA quarterly newsletter, on his new laptop. Gene was also a proud member of the Knights of Columbus, where he took on, at age 93, the task of updating the members’ records.

Gene’s greatest legacy is his family. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Evie; his infant son, Eugene; and his grandchildren: Gavin Eugene Delaney, Shannon Rose Donohue, and Andrew William List.

He is survived by his five loving children: Michelle Nonnon List (Bill), Melinda Nonnon McLaughlin (Ed), Denise Nonnon D. Yaremko (Jim), Ava Nonnon Donohue (Craig), and Gary Paul Nonnon (Assem).

He was the proud grandfather of Evan and Jonathan List; Tara Mclaughlin Jaworski (Justin), Brianne McLaughlin Maxim (Dennis), and Eddie McLaughlin (Joy); Ryan (Amanda), Trevor (Jacqueline), and Patrick (Emely) Delaney; Carly and Eric Donohue; and Sarah, Grace, Eliana, and Vivienne Nonnon. Gene also leaves behind nine great grandchildren: Anders List; Charlotte and James Jaworski; Kayleigh, Noelle and Abigail Maxim; Eddie, Cora and Madeline McLaughlin; as well as his dear sister, Sister Bernadette Nonnon; and many loving nieces and nephews.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate Gene‘s life at Boyd-Spencer Funeral Home, in Babylon, NY, on Mon, Oct 13, 2:00-4:30PM/7-9PM.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tues,

Oct 14, at 10:30 AM, at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Church, in W. Islip, NY, where he and Evie were devoted parishioners for nearly years. The mass will be live-streamed on YouTube.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Eugene‘s memory may be made to: Birthright Nassau/Suffolk.