Alfred Eugene Onsen

GeneO was preceded in death by his parents, Pauline and Alfred Onsen. He is survived by his children, Travis (Melissa) Onsen of KCK, Christopher (Melissa) Onsen and Victoria Spalding, both of Shawnee, his friend/first life love and mother to his children, Kimberly Harrell, 6 grandchildren: Andrew, Kaitlynn, Madeline, Leslie, Alexander Onsen, and Cameron Spalding. A sister, Sandra (Ron)Harris and half sister, Betty Ball, his life brothers, Mark Seman, Clayton McCombs, William McCombs, John Berry and Mike Thomas, neice and nephew, Brandon(Madison) Onsen and Robyn (Zach) Heckman as well as many other nieces and nephews, and his long-time best friend Tim Ringstrom. And lastly, his sweet Josie girl

The following song was one of his favorites and he played it often during his times of meditation. He always said music helped to calm him so he could better collect his thoughts. He listened to music a lot.

GeneO was a 1979 graduate of Washington High School in KCK where, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Kansas Army National Guard. Upon completion of high school Gene left for bootcamp and he began his 36 year career. He worked as a civilian shop supervisor in vehicle maintenance at OMS 7 on 18th street in Kansas City, KS for 26 years, retiring from both as an E-7 Sargent First Class in April, 2015.

During Gene’s time serving his country he did one tour in Iraq and was activated here in the KCK area during the flood of 1993. He would say his time in the military was tough and stressful, but the comradery and bonds he built with his military brothers and sisters kept him going, helped carry him through those hard times, especially through his yearlong tour in Iraq from 2005 to 2006. His was proud to serve his country and he would surely tell you during conversations about the years of service he put in. Also, he would not hesitate to ask to use his military discount wherever he went. His kids gave him crap for this, we could only laugh at him for it because he tried to use it everywhere!

He thrived on learning new things. Gene went through various training courses throughout his career gaining many certifications and awards in various areas not just the mechanical side of things. His level of intelligence and desire to learn about automotives could be best explained when he was just 14 years old. He successfully changed out the engine of his mother’s car with a souped-up new engine. Needless to say, his mother was NOT a fan of the extra power and demanded he put her original engine back in her car. He thoroughly enjoyed passing his mechanical knowledge and skill down to his children and guiding those he worked with in the armory shop.

Gene acquired many skills in the construction and remodeling work he did alongside his friend and mentor of many years, Mark Seman. His favorite skill was laying tile. He said it was hard work, but the beauty of the end result was all worth it.

He also enjoyed the outdoors, motorcycle riding, hunting, fishing, and camping as well as watching sports and spending time with his family. He didn't usually miss many of the games on tv and loved rooting for his home teams, the Royals and Kansas City Chiefs. He went on many trips hunting and fishing with his longtime friend, Tim. He spent time teaching his children about these skills. He really took pride in taking his boys on these trips as adults and spending time with his daughter shooting at the gun range, he had to be sure she could take care of herself. When the kids were younger Gene loved taking trips with them to Colorado and going on many camping trips with the family dogs. Those moments he cherished wholeheartedly and reminisced on often. He had a great love for his furry companions, 3 that had passed before him and his new companion, his crazy, loving girl, Josie.

GeneO was a gentle, caring, understanding, wise and compassionate man. He was always there to lend an ear or extend a hug (give a squish as he liked to say) or give pieces of his wisdom to calm those in sorrowful or distressed moments. He loved to make people laugh with his goofy and humorous character. He believed laughter was the best way to get out of a bad mood. He often said to sleep on our worries and questions about life, the answers would come to us by morning when we woke. He was almost always right.

His most prized possessions and greatest loves of his life in this world were his children. Every moment spent together he cherished to the fullest extend and deepest depths of his heart.

He will be missed deeply by those closest to him as well as those whose lives he touched in one way or another.

A visitation for Alfred will be held Thursday, January 6, 2022 from 3:00 PM to 4:01 PM at Chapel Hill - Butler Funeral Home, 701 North 94th Street, Kansas City, KS 66112, followed by a funeral services from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Full Military Honors will end the service.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.chapelhill-butler.com for the Onsen family.