Marie Gene Hampton

Marie Gene Hampton of Colorado Springs, Colorado passed away peacefully while sleeping on 27 June 2026 at Pikes Peak Hospice after seeing or speaking to her family. Her last words were, “I love you too” spoken to her great-granddaughters Camryn and Madalyn Slike. She was loving, thoughtful, creative, and had a passion for classical music. She was committed to the education and the happiness of her family and friends. At over 100 years old, she lived a life of consequence across a century of dramatic technological, social, and global change.

Marie Gene was born 05 February 1926 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Eugene Emory Stevens and Ethyl Georgiana (Rechcygl) Stevens. Eugene was an Army veteran of World War I, and she was an only child. She was preceded in death by her loving husband William “Bill” L. Hampton (Aug 2025), both of her parents, and by her close grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on the Stevens, Rechcygl and Wallace/Skatrud side of her family. As a “centurion” who recently celebrated her 100th Birthday with family and friends in Colorado, it is notable that in the year of her birth (1926), the world was undergoing huge change, and her youth would be dominated by the Great Depression and World War II. The 150th Anniversary of the American Revolution, the birth of Fidel Castro, Queen Elizabeth, Norma Jeane Mortenson (Marilyn Monroe), and Miles Davis, the corporate birth of United Airlines and NBC, the launch of the first liquid-fueled rocket (Goddard), the first trans-Atlantic phone call, introduction of the 40-hour work week, the first Scholastic Aptitude Tests, the swimming of the English Channel by the first women (Gertrude Ederle), the global signing of the 1926 Slavery Convention (League of Nations), and the publishing of classics like Mary Poppins and Winnie the Pooh – to name a few – all happened in 1926. The first women swimming the English Channel was significant to Marie Gene, as she loved to swim, and continued to enjoy that sport until she was 98 years old.

Marie Gene grew up in several Wisconsin locations and attended several schools as the Stevens family moved between Manitowoc, Whitefish Bay, and Milwaukee while her father Eugene pursued his career in sales and supply chain management before and during World War II (WWII). Eventually her family settled into a lovely home on Murray Avenue in Shorewood on Milwaukee’s east side, and they were members of the Plymouth Church. Her mother, Ethyl, was a gifted artist and craftswomen who created beautiful weavings (some displayed in the Milwaukee Art Museum), sterling silver/copper jewelry and hollowware, and painted ceramics. Marie Gene inherited that artistic streak in the form of musical talent, taking up the cello at age 15. Marie Gene attended Riverside High School (Class of 1944) in Milwaukee. She was great student, studied Spanish in addition to core curriculum, and played first-chair cello in the Riverside HS Orchestra. Her time at Riverside was marked by the WWII demand for young people to defend the country, and not all of her friends returned from that war.

After High School, she attended Milwaukee State Teachers College (which later became the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee) and graduated with the Class of 1948, earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in elementary education. Her professional teaching career was in the Milwaukee Public School System, teaching kindergarten at the Henry Clay Elementary School in Whitefish Bay, WI. She often told stories of her classroom “kids”, and had pictures of the school and its renovations in the 1950s.

When not teaching, she enjoyed playing the cello with the Milwaukee Civic Symphony Orchestra, which was a non-profit alternative to the Milwaukee Symphony. Her orchestra relationships formed a life-long connection to organizations like the Alverno College Orchestra, and membership in the MacDowell Club of Milwaukee (one of the better-known MacDowell Clubs across the nation; founded by composer Edward MacDowell).

For at least two summers in 1950 and 1951, Marie Gene took continuing education and master’s program courses at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO, and played cello with the University of Colorado Orchestra. Her cello instructor was Cornelius Van Vliet, first-chair cellist of the Vienna and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, which made a lasting impression upon her. Her parents, Ethel and Eugene, vacationed with her in Colorado, and Marie Gene formed a lifetime love of that state, and the mountains.

Marie Gene found her “one-and-only” in William “Bill” L. Hampton of Des Moines, Iowa. Bill was the son of Wallace B. Hampton and Mary C. (Hardin) Hampton (both deceased). They were engaged in the summer of 1954, and married 16 April, 1955 at Plymouth Church in Milwaukee. Bill was an Electrical Engineer, and Product & Sales Engineer, for Cutler Hammer (later Eaton/Cutler-Hammer), and they quickly built their first home in 1957-1958 on Michael Drive in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Marie Gene continued teaching until their son Stephen was born 28 July 1958. Their daughter Ruth was born three years later on 11 July 1961.

Bill and Marie Gene lived in Brookfield, Wisconsin until after Bill’s retirement from Cutler-Hammer in September of 1990. They were members of the Brookfield Congregational UCC Church. They moved twice while in Brookfield; first to Ely Court, and then to Bradee Road. Both Stephen and Ruth attended Brookfield East High School, and then went on to college; Stephen to the US Naval Academy (Class of 1981), and Ruth to Colorado College (Class of 1983).

Her love of playing the cello, and any music program, was a highlight of her life while raising her family in Wisconsin. She and Bill both sang in the church choir from 1958 until 1992, and she was a regular as part of many music programs, playing the cello with various groups. Active in the MacDowell Club of Milwaukee, her performances with related professional and amateur chamber groups occasionally included support from Kenneth Schermerhorn, who conducted the Milwaukee Symphony from 1968-1982. Marie Gene’s other cello group was the Alverno College Community Orchestra, and she played with them regularly in the 1970s and 80s.

When not managing children or music, she enjoyed local trips with the family to northern Wisconsin, visits to her relatives along Lake Michigan’s eastern coast and in Door County, trips east to Cape Cod, or west to Iowa, Montana, Wyoming, and California. Bill and Marie Gene also had the opportunity to go to Europe several times as part of business trips or to visit friends abroad.

Marie Gene was a true animal lover. Dogs were part of her life from childhood until her last days. In her youth she had a Boston Bull Terrier, then later in Brookfield, WI the family dog “Pakee”, and then enjoyed “Savannah” (Steve & Terrie’s family dog in Yorktown, VA), and finally several loving dogs that belonged to Ruth and Casey in Colorado Springs, CO. She also enjoyed bird watching, so every home owned by Bill and Marie Gene had many bird feeders and baths.

In the 1980s, Bill bought his Hunter 33 sailboat CAPRICE and they joined the South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee. Marie Gene sailed and raced on Lake Michigan in CAPRICE with many friends and relatives while supporting Bill’s “adventures” which included sailing with Ruth around Washington Island in Door County, and sailing across the lake to New Haven, MI for the Queen’s Cup Race of 1991.

Bill and Marie Gene left Wisconsin in 1992 after Bill retired from Cutler-Hammer/Eaton, and built a home at Hidden Harbor Drive in Naples, Florida where Marie Gene had several close friends and relatives. They joined the Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church known for its exceptional music groups under the direction of Dr. James B. Cochran (who was Director of the Naples Philharmonic Chorus). Marie Gene often played cello in groups directed by Dr. Cochran, and Keith Lockhart of the Naples Symphony and the Boston Pops. From Naples, they enjoyed summers in Frisco, Colorado. They eventually left Florida in late 2003, moving to the Village of Skyline (Brookdale) Retirement Community in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they joined the Manitou Springs Community Congregational Church.

In Colorado, Marie Gene became active in the Brookdale Skyline Community swim and exercise group – a group that has supported her with great exercise and lasting friendship ever since. She continued to play cello, mostly for programs at the Manitou Springs Community Congregational Church, but also teamed up with Dot Forester (pianist) for programs at the retirement community. She remained Bill’s first mate on Lake Dillion when Bill occasionally rented a sailboat. Bill and Marie Gene enjoyed the summers in Frisco, CO, the Breckenridge Music Festivals, traveling all over the west, and travels east to visit children, grandchildren, and friends, as well as adventures in Europe.

In later years, Bill and Marie Gene spent extraordinary times with Ruth and Casey. Ruth and Casey did whatever they could to ensure Marie Gene (and Bill) lived independently as long as possible. In assisted living, Marie Gene continued to enjoy all that Colorado has to offer, and to remain in touch with good friends. In addition to the Brookdale Swim Group, Marie Gene enjoyed the company of two former neighbors from Wisconsin, as well as a staff of well-known and exceptional care givers. Recently, she had enjoyed watching the Olympics, Baseball, Football, Wildlife programs, and the World Cup with friends and family. Her love of music persisted until the end, and although she stopped playing the cello about three years ago, she had played several times for her young great grand-daughters. Her electric piano made the journey to Hendersonville, TN, where her great-granddaughters will also use it and learn to play music.

Marie Gene Hampton is survived by her daughter Ruth Anne (Hampton) Gibson, and her husband Casey B. Gibson of Colorado Springs, CO, as well as by her son Captain Stephen Hampton (USN, Ret) and his wife Teresa (Beasley) Hampton of Gallatin, TN, her granddaughter Cassandra (Hampton) Slike and her husband Curtis Slike of Hendersonville, TN, and her granddaughter Carlie Hampton, as well as Carlie’s wife Auxann Maine of Richmond, VA. Bill and Marie Gene also have two surviving, and greatly-loved, great-granddaughters; Camryn (“Cami”) Rose and Madelyn (“Madi”) Virginia Slike.

A simple service and celebration of Marie Gene’s life will be held starting at 1230 PM Mountain Time, 31 July 2026 (Friday), at the Swan-Law Funeral Directors, 501 N Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. A light-lunch reception will follow. Private interment will be at noon Central Time, 25 August 2026 (Tuesday), at Pinelawn Memorial Park, 10700 West Capital Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53222.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial donations in her name (Marie Gene Hampton) to the Festival City Symphony (FCS), or the National Parks Foundation.

Festival City Symphony (FCS). Festival City Symphony is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 39-1777883). Use this link https://secure.givelively.org/donate/festival-city-symphony-inc. (1) Click on the amount you choose to give, or enter it in the box, (2) Click the button “Dedicate this Donation” and then Click “In Memory Of”, (3) Choose “In Memory Of” putting “Marie Gene Hampton” in the “Dedicatee's Name” field, (4) Fill-in “Recipient Email” with [email protected] (family still sees that email), (5) Click Donate. Complete your billing address, name, and payment method.

National Parks Foundation. National Park Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax identification number: 52-1086761. Use this link https://give.nationalparks.org/site/Donation. (1) Mouse over “Donate to the Parks” and select “Tribute Gifts”, (2) Select or add amount, (3) Fill in Donor Billing Info, (3) Select Tribute Gift “In Memory of” (“Marie Gene Hampton”), (4) The family will still see her email; use [email protected].