--How do you take the measure of a mans life.. especially this man’s life…..I start by looking at all these faces…all part of the fraternity of people touched and forever changed for the better having known Eugene P. Sloan
--There are a total of 5 or 6 people in the history of the world that I’ve looked up to and tried to emulate to make me the man I am today….. You know how it is…you take a little part from this person and a little piece from that person and it all comes together to make you the unique person that you are. Geno is one of those people, except I took huge chunks from him. I’ve looked up to him like a big brother really. I hope Ken and David don’t mind if I become your brother for at least this one day.
--Geno was a mans man (strong, tireless, focused,…..Humble) with a heart as big as his shoulders. Shoulders that were able to carry the weight of the world on them. Not once would you ever hear him whine or complain how tough life was…he would just handle it with class and grace. He was the toughest guy I’ve ever known. Geno had a way of walking…shoulders back; head up, confident in his place in this world. He had a smile and a laugh that was infectious …it just drew you in….No matter how bad things were in my life, I would always leave feeling better having been around him. Anyone lucky enough to call him friend will attest to this.
--Geno was someone you could count on…. All the time, every time….Over the last 30 years Shirl and I moved 7 or 8 times. Geno and Coll were the only ones who were there each time. 2 of those moves they were the only ones there. Bottom line…If I needed his help, I didn’t even need to ask…he was just there.
--Geno introduced me to Bow hunting. I was already in my 30’s and basically at that point in time I was a bit of a wimp. Calling me green would be an understatement. I had a love of the outdoors because I was brought up camping, but it was Geno that showed me the primeval magic of the woods. I learned very quickly to appreciate the siren song that kept calling us back to the northern woods year after year. The woods were a place that we would both go to once a year to re-gain our focus on the things that were really important in our life….When we weren’t hunting we were talking. We could talk for hours about everything and anything….but mostly we would talk about what is going on with our families. Gene’s family is what drove him and focused him on a daily basis. I will miss those conversations with him most of all…...
--When we started having kids Gene decided to make a change in occupation because he knew that he wouldn’t be able to support his family working at the catering company. With no reservations he started a completely different career. He swept floors as he learned and completely changed his course in life, and once again he did it with class. I was so proud of the career he built for Colleen and the kids.
--Geno didn’t have or need a pile of friends, but if you were lucky enough to call him friend, you could have none better…. So let’s take the next few hours of today and celebrate the life and times of this great man and wonderful soul…. Let’s keep him always fresh in our memory so we can teach our younger children, who didn’t get the chance to know him like we did, what it means to be a real man in America. Geno..you will be missed…..
--The next time I’m in the woods on a crisp, quiet November morning and the snow starts lightly falling and I feel a sense of peace come over me, I‘ll know that Geno is checking in with me.
As I close allow me to quote a great man by saying,….”It’s all a part of life” and what a life it was….Love ya Geno