Kootenai County ID Archives Obituaries.....Farley, Eugene Gilbert December 28, 2005 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/id/idfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K T bluewolf@onemain.com January 5, 2006, 1:13 am Coeur d'Alene Press - The Daily Bee Eugene G. Farley, 87 Eugene Gilbert "Gene" Farley went home to meet his maker Dec. 28, 2005, after succumbing at his home after a lengthy battle with emphysema. Gene was born in Los Angeles on Jan. 3, 1918, to Edward and Myrtle (Tunison) Farley. He led a tremendously active and engaged life to its fullest. After surviving a burst appendix, he became one of the fastest sprinters in Los Angeles area schools. In 1936, Gene set the record in the 100-yard dash by besting the record that had stood for 18 years at Manual Arts High. His record stood until 1946. Gene joined the Marine Corps immediately after Pearl Harbor and spent three years in the Pacific Theater. In 1944, he assaulted the beaches of Saipan on D- Day with the 2nd Marines, in which nearly 1,600 of his fellow Marines were felled or lost. Gene rose to the rank of Platoon Sergeant and became platoon leader on the battlefield, because his Lieutenant had been killed in action. Thus, he was in command of his unit when, during one night, the enemy mounted a Banzai charge which was defeated after a desperate battle. Gene's heroic actions during this engagement were featured back home in the local newspapers. Gene also fought at Tinian, where he was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart. On D-Day at Okinawa, he was aboard the ship nearest the U.S.S. Hinsdale and looked on as a Kamikaze pilot crashed his plane into where Gene's bunk had been. Gene married his loving wife Dorothy Schimick on Oct. 28, 1948, in Yuma, Ariz. He was a firefighter and medic for the Beverly Hills Fire Department, retiring after 20 years with major back surgery. During his career as a firefighter, Gene also built homes as a general contractor. But actual retirement was not in his lexicon. Soon, Gene became a building inspector for the City of Los Angeles. In 1972, he again retired and fulfilled a long-held dream and moved to Coeur d'Alene. Again, not one to sit idle, within the year, he was the first professional building inspector in Coeur d'Alene's history and was the entire Department of Building and Safety. Gene was instrumental in getting the Uniform Building Code adopted by the city. In 1975, he again tried retirement but only for a short time, because he sold real estate and did appraisals. Dad was an outdoorsman at heart and loved the outdoors. All of our family vacations centered around camping, hunting and fishing. He was a pioneer of modern bowhunting and participated in some of the first archery seasons held in California. He counted amongst his many friends some of the most influential names in archery of the 20th century. Gene's name is listed in the first edition of the Pope & Young Bowhunting record book for a record mule deer. An avid bird hunter, he owned and trained his beloved pointers for nearly 50 years. He was also a life-long tennis player, accomplished horseman, skin diver, fly fisherman and expert photographer, woodworker and leather-smith. He invented and marketed one of the first removable bow quivers, all individually built by hand in his large home wood working shop. His favorite activity of all was backpacking to fish wild country where, as he liked to say, "no other footprints." Gene's life was one of service to his country and his fellow man. Above all, he was the best of husbands, father and grandfather to his family. He is sorely missed by all. Survivors include his wife Dorothy at home; son Brian Farley and daughter-in- law Pamela, Hayden; daughter and son-in-law, Christine and Eric Mueller, El Granada, Calif.; grandson Chad Farley, wife Elizabeth and great-granddaughters Lillian and Hailey, Hayden; and grandson Max Mueller, El Granada, Calif. Gene's beloved grandson Travis Farley preceded him in death. Memorial service will be 2 p.m. Jan. 5, followed by a reception, both at Yates Funeral Home, Hayden Chapel and Gathering Center. The family prefers memorials or donations, in lieu of flowers, to Travis Shane Farley Memorial Scholarship at North Idaho College. Please visit Gene's memorial and sign his online guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com. Additional Comments: Coeur d'Alene Press - The Daily Bee Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho <> Volunteer submission - No relation to the deceased. No other information available from submitter. 04 January 2006 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/id/kootenai/obits/f/farley1344gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/idfiles/ File size: 5.0 Kb