Eugene Edward Chase, Sr.

Eugene Edward Chase Sr. “Gene Chase” passed away of a heart attack December 14, 2020 in Urbandale, Iowa. Who was Gene Chase? Gene was born in Des Moines, Iowa on January 20, 1941 to Delphine & Clifford Chase. As a student at St. Peter’s Catholic School, he loved music and wanted to sing in the church choir but didn’t quite have the right musical voice. His mother directed his musical interest to the accordion with weekly lessons by taking Gene, along with his younger sister and brother, on weekly bus trips to downtown Des Moines. As a young boy, along with his brother and sister he enjoyed many train rides to Manilla, Iowa to visit his grandparents. One his favorite memories, other than Grandma McMahon’s peanut butter cookies, was sledding/rolling down the embankment in their yard with Foley cousins, sister and brother with Grandpa McMahon’s dog chasing after to grab their pant legs to try to flip them over.

While he was a student at Woodrow Wilson Junior High, he was always trying to raise money for those less fortunate. In his early teen years, instead of asking for candy in his bucket at Halloween he would sing songs for donations. He would then take those donations to give to families on the south side of Des Moines. That is where he met Sally Williams whom he married later after his return home from the Navy.

He enjoyed playing football with his south side friends. In later teen years while at East High School, he would use the money he made working odd jobs to buy pies and cinnamon rolls from Mary Ann’s Pie Shop to give to south side families in need.

He did not finish High School as he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served from 1959 to 1963 during the Viet Nam War. His brother Jack also served a couple of years with him on the USS Epperson DDE/DD-719 stationed in Pearl Harbor which carried 280 sailors on board. Navy policy had been that brothers could not serve on the same ship together but since their enrollment cards listed different state resident addresses, Navy didn’t realize the brother relationship until it was too late. He was a Gunner’s Mate for the rear gun mount which protected the ship from attacks. The U.S.S. Epperson’s mission was to patrol Pearl Harbor from potential enemy threats which continued to be from China and Japan. While out on a patrol, “pings” of possible enemy submarines were coming into control room. Gene was instructed to destroy the area where sound was coming from which ended up as not good news for the large whale which had been following the ship. In 1960, the movie “Wackiest Ship in the Army” featuring Rick Nelson and Jack Lemmon filmed aboard his ship which provided a fun distraction. After leaving the Navy, Gene continued to serve in the Navy Reserves.

As a lifelong Iowa Hawkeyes football fan, he loved to talk smack with anyone who was willing. While a quiet person in temperament, he was a vocal supporter with a deep sounding voice that could get anyone’s attention even in a crowded room. He especially enjoyed the football rivalry with Nebraska. One time, his nephew Art suggested a local Vegas bar near his house to watch the BIG game. However, Gene was one step ahead and checked out the bar before going and discovered it was a Husker bar.

After arriving home, Gene married Sally Williams in Des Moines, Iowa in 1963. From that marriage a son was born in 1965 – Eugene Edward Chase, Jr. Years after his divorce, Gene married Georgia Tilton in Omaha, Nebraska in 1983. Gene’s career until his retirement was as an over the road long distance truck driver for Yellow Freight and C & F Consolidated. He was a proud Teamsters member. After retirement, Gene lived in Irvine, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. While living in Las Vegas, he became a School Bus driver. After Georgia’s passing in 2015, his thoughts turned to coming back to Iowa.

He was making his dream a reality as this December, he was in the processing of purchasing a home in Urbandale, Iowa with closing scheduled for the December 15th, the day after his passing. He has been cremated and his remains are interred next to Georgia at Merle Hay Mausoleum in Des Moines. His mother and father predeceased him along with brother, Billy Lee Chase. He will be forever missed by surviving family members - son, Gene Jr.; three grandchildren; brother, Jack Chase; sister, Sandra Chase; stepson Louie Miller; stepdaughter Pamela Miller and his many nieces and nephews.

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