When Gene graduated from high school he joined the Navy and served in Vietnam on river patrol boats. He next served as a lineman for Utah Power and Light, where he saved a fellow lineman. Licensed as a pilot in 1979, he flew fire retardant tankers, smokejumper aircraft, infra-red fire mapping missions, and lead plane for the U. S. Forest Service. Gene and his wife shared numerous passions including professional drag racing, skiing, riding their Harleys, and tooling around in their Model A. Responding to a call for help by the United States Forest Service, Gene and his crew were dispatched to the Smitty Fire when the aircraft crashed.