Jochem, Eugene Nicholas

Eugene “Gene” Jochem (b. Feb. 4, 1933) died at home on April 12, 2012, after a prolonged illness following a stroke. He was cared for until the end of his life by his loving wife, Jacqueline, and their son, Jonathan. Gene was the only child of Catherine S. and Elmer F. Jochem. He was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Gene and Jackie celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary last May. Their other children are Gena (Redlands, CA), Jeffrey (Pearisburg, VA), Patrick (Tehachapi, CA), and Katie (Puyallup, WA). Gene and Jackie have eight grandchildren: Alice, Lillian, Madeline, Beaumont, Jacob, Emma, Lucas, and Anna. The Jochems retired to Wolf Creek after spending years on the west coast where Gene was a pioneer systems analyst in the Aerospace Industry. Gene studied physics and mathematics, graduating from Xavier University after attending Summit Country Day School and Purcell High School. He also attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, where he played football and boxed on the Naval Academy teams. He served in the U.S. Army at the Rocky Mt. Arsenal in Denver, CO where he met and married Jackie. Gene celebrated 41 years of sobriety this Easter and was a friend of Bill W. and Dr. Bob. He was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church and was active, before his illness, in Wolf Creek Ruritan. He enjoyed civic and cultural affairs and was a member of the Giles County Democratic Committee. Gene was beloved by many and never met a person he didn’t like. He had a song in his heart each day and loved all types of music, poetry, football, baseball, fly-fishing, and hiking. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend; and he will be sorely missed. His family is grateful for the kind attention paid to him by his nurses and caregivers, neighbors, and friends over the course of his illness. A memorial service will be held at Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church at 1701 Wenonah Avenue in Pearisburg, 24134, on Saturday, April 21, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Union Gospel Mission, 318 2nd Avenue Extension South, Seattle, WA 98104 or to a charity of your choice. Feel free to leave your condolences and sign the guestbook using the links provided. Thank you, Mr. Jochem, for your service to our country.