I worked with Dr. Conti in the ER. He was a brilliant, kind, respectful,and genuinely nice person. His presence will be truly missed. My condolences to his wife Barbara, who he always spoke of fondly. Rest In Peace

Dear Family, I want you to know that Dr. Conti is a very positive person in my life. He always had a smile and words of wisdom for me. I am thankful for the conversations we had about many life issues. It saddens me that I will miss h is voice and look forward to seeing him again when we go to heaven. I am praying for peace and comfort for you all with all my heart.

List of memories of my uncle

My earliest memory of my uncle was playing ‘airplane’ in the front yard of Grandma and Grandpa’s house

As a kid, I remember how much he loved us (nephew #1!). He’d take us out to:

• Busch Gardens
• Historical Sites
• Car shows
• Go Kart
• Skiing
• Swimming at his pool
• Shooting range
• Skiing (wearing gear on the ski slope … pro)
• Air Shows
• Embarassing Jean-Claude Van Damme picture pose

Uncle Gene was always there

• Church, then Waffle n Things or another breakfast place
• Coming over to dinner with scrubs or gym clothes, famished (Are you going to eat that?)
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas
• Birthdays (provided the pesos for my treasure hunt birthday)
• Karate Lessons
• Write letters for graduation, confirmation (he was my confirmation sponsor)

Uncle Gene the wise: could get really immersed in his ideas

• Grilling out and flames of the grill out of control, oblivious. (He ended up warping the condo siding)
• On hikes to Old Rag, inevitably Uncle Gene drops back to chat with you: Intelligent Design, the de-valuatization of the US dollar, a godless society (if you don’t answer to god, who do you answer to?), finding live tissue in a fossilize dinosaur remains
• Uncle Gene’s infamous hanging question (I’d always get it wrong, answering “Yes”, but then “No!, but let me explain why, Robbie”)

He took care of people

• Asthma medicine
• Sharing via email distributions, since the day the internet was created it seemed, until his passing
• Les Paul … life ling guitarist
• Weightset … fitness minded
• Emergency Prep bag
• Swiss army knives
• Always handing out cash
• Truck shopping: Toyota, Bronco II … enguinity
• Always helping mom and aunt carla

Big appetite/Favorite eats

• Old country buffer and Golden Corral
• Why not pizza

Uncle Gene the Wise

• Get restaurant biz out of your system
• Believe in yourself
• Attitude is everything
• Lead by Example
• Experience is the best teacher…sometimes not so great being taught though
• Golden Rule, yes, but would about the Platinun rule?

Towards the end of high school, as a punk teenager, i ran with a bad crowd for a bit. We still spent time together and he didn’t give up on me

Now I owe a large part of who I am to Uncle Gene: attitude, job, family, god, guitar

Uncle Gene showed me what it meant to lead by example, to be strong, kind, generous, and full of faith.

Uncle #1

Love, Robbie

I thought you were going to make it. We all thought you were going to make it. We prayed, analyzed what was happening, but never expected. I tried to understand why or who, what caused you my Uncle Gene to leave so soon. All I could think when I see your pictures was a smart, young handsome devoted husband, loving brother, and doctor, Uncle to many loving memories who left too soon.

Our calls on the phone together about the very same illness that took you away from our loving family into the arms of our Lord, into the arms of your mom and dad, and all the people that you have touched their souls.

Now you are in Heaven. We can’t be greedy with you; you did God’s work here and he called you back home. I am happy to have been always in your presence, always to hear that you were proud of me and our family. I am happy to have seen you before your time. David, Michael, Chinda will miss you, but we will honor your legacy, Eugene. Thank you for your love. For we walk by Faith, not by sight – 2 Corinthians 5:7. We’ll see you again my Uncle Gene.

Love David, Chinda, David Angelo, and Michael

Eugene if you can see from heaven you will see those you touched with your warmth and compassion , intelligence and humility. People like LUCY who just met you and Barb …crying so hard that you were gone and ROD Haigler, Larry Schnitt and my friend BRIAN all were so moved by the man you are.

You were always there for Robbie DAVID and ALANNA at Robbys confirmation, showing him how to tie a Windsor knot, their graduations, at the Navy Air Show to see the Blue Angels, visiting Busch Gardens, driving to New York, Times Square, Hemsley Palace. You and Barb were so kind to take care of my David in the final year of his high school. You were fun and adventurous .. showing us all the side of life that we could laugh and play and learn.

You were there for me always ! What I loved about you was your reassurance that everything would be OK and it always will be alright …you know I needed that !!!

Gene your passion for this country and your deep faith in God inspired people everywhere. It was something so incredibly unique about you and you made such an impact in the lives of people that you just met .. they were immediately embraced by your warmth, your engaging spirit and your zest for life with such intelligence and your ability to teach!!

You were special so many people you touched from childhood through college with all the glee club members to the students you taught as a black belt in karate in Mexico and then onward in your medical school career and throughout your tenure as an emergency room physician but to you you were the best uncle, a devoted husband, and absolutely the world’s best brother and a second dad to my kids. You gave everything you had and everything you were because of your absolute love. We saw in you what we all strive to be ….to love our neighbors just as God would want us to.

For that we are all the richer in spirit and humanity. Your life not only mattered but it was a blessing from God. You are a gift to all of us and Although we are bereft in the anguish of grief and overwhelming loss, we know you are in the arms of God himself next to mom and dad and MARK, watching us from above with your protection and love.
For all the wonder and goodness that was you … we await the miracles from my brother who is now a Saint.