Joseph Eugene “Gene” Wolanin, 84 from the Village of Belvedere, The Villages, Florida passed on December 3rd, 2020 at The Select Specialty Hospital of Oxford, FL, where he was visited and comforted by his family and loving wife Marge.
A mass of remembrance will be held on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 11AM, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 5323 E CR 462, Wildwood FL, 34785.
Gene was born in East Chicago, Indiana on December 30, 1935 and was the oldest of three children to Joseph and Jeanette (Jaremski) Wolanin. Gene attended East Chicago Roosevelt high school and played football for the powerhouse Roughriders 1951-53 NIC championship teams. Gene accepted a scholarship to attend Millikin University, in Decatur, Illinois where he was a three-year letterman in football and helped The Big Blue win the 1954 CCIW Championship.
Gene was a member of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, President of the campus Newman Club and graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. He was offered, but turned down an opportunity to play professional football from the Baltimore Colts, General Manager D. Kellett in 1957. Gene started his career as a teacher and coach at Central High School in Dyer, Indiana and then at Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond, Indiana. During the next 3 summers he attended Indiana State University, which led to him receiving his Master of Arts in Education 1962. Gene became assistant principal and coach at Thornridge High School in Dolton, Illinois and a few years later accepted the assistant superintendent of schools’ in Calument City, Illinois.
The family moved from Hammond to Munster, Indiana. Gene also moved from coaching to the Indiana High Scholl Sports Association (IHSSA) where he became one of the top basketball referees’ and football officials in the state. In 1968 Gene took the bold move to leave school administration and move into Education sales, first working for Macmillan Publishing, and later for Follett Publishing, Benefic Press and Holcomb’s Education Resource moving to Englewood, Ohio. He continued his long association with athletics coaching youth sports and supporting his children with baseball, football, swimming and soccer. While in Ohio he later opened his own company Quality Educational Products, was president of the Ohio Bookman’s Association and represented multiple Publishing and Technology companies. Gene also had a sharp eye on the early adaptation of technology for education, going on to represent Apple Computers Education and Digi-Card Network Education systems, and pioneering some of the first computer based education systems throughout Ohio public and private school systems.
He worked tirelessly until his retirement as an Educational and Technology Sales Representative in Ohio and Northern Kentucky until retiring in 1996. Gene and Marge moved to Sand Pebble in New Port Richey, Florida where he enjoyed boating, fishing and fulfilled a lifelong dream by traveling for the next several years across the USA, Canada and spending time in Alaska in their RV. Afterward residing in both Marblehead, OH on Lake Eire and eventually moving to The Villages, FL in 2002.
While in The Villages, Gene enjoyed playing softball, golfing, fishing; member of the Tri-County Buckeye Alumni club, Polish Club, Computer Club and Genealogy Club just to name a few; and loved the many, many friends and neighbors he met along the way living for seventeen years in The Villages.
Over the last several years of Gene’s life, he developed a deep passion for Genealogy. Using his thirst for knowledge of family, and passion for history, culture, religion, and geography worked with many organizations, professionals, resources and people. Gene was able to identify and trace his family’s history back over 5 generations providing a lasting record his family will cherish. Most importantly Gene’s greatest love was his family, having been married and deeply devoted to Margaret Mary (McGing) for over 64 years and his three surviving children.
Gene is preceded by his parents, daughter (Debra) and brother (Andrew). Surviving are; son Gene Michael (Tammy) and grandson (Matthew) of Annapolis, MD; daughter Margo (Diana) of Oxford, FL; and son Sean Joseph (Lisa), grandson’s (Joseph, Zachary, Brian) and granddaughter (Jessica) of Olmsted Falls, OH; and brother Robert (Gloria) of Bluffton, SC.
Gene will be dearly missed by his family and they ask in lieu of flowers, please make a charitable donation in Gene’s name to: Tri-County The Ohio State University (OSU) Alumni Club Scholarship Fund (# 647341) care of Doug Kreiselman, 1865 Oakcrest Path, The Villages, Florida 32162.