• Eugene Shaver

Eugene (Gene) H. Shaver, our beloved husband, father and grandfather, left for his heavenly home on Thursday, August 1, 2019. An intelligent, humble, dog-loving gentleman and friend to all has left us.

He leaves his one and only love of 59 years, Mary (Jackson) Shaver; his son, Eric, and his wife, Gail Gaetani; his daughter, Sonja Fuller, and her husband, Andy; his sisters, Gale Shaver and Elaine Brooks; four grandchildren: Sophia and Sedona Shaver and Amy and Adam Fuller; and many other relatives and close friends. He was predeceased by his brother Allen.

He was born on August 2, 1936, in Andes, N.Y., to Allen J. Shaver and Lillian Misner. He started a lifelong passion for sports, particularly baseball, at an early age that carried throughout his lifetime.

After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army with his best friend, Fred Wilson, and was assigned to the signal corp. He became an instructor in cathode ray tube theory at Fort Monmouth, N.J. After his discharge, he returned home and became reacquainted with a now-grown-up girl he used to tease as a child, Mary Jackson. Mary and Gene were married in July 1960.

He started the family in San Jose, Calif., with Sonja and Eric and moved the family of four to Burlington, Vt., in 1967. Burlington has been home since and the starting place for so much of what he was proud to provide for his family. His time on the Burlington City Council was a source of pride for him, knowing he could give back and help the community he loved. He loved to spend time on the lake and attend or coach absolutely any sport he could, and he taught himself to ski. He became a hockey player at 40. You could find him skiing, skating, playing basketball, softball, baseball, tennis, water-skiing … you name it.

Later in life, he took joy in his grandchildren and taking every opportunity to teach, coach, play and tease another generation of Shavers. He enjoyed getting to know his step-grandchildren and considered them family, as well.

He had a reputation for being a constant joker and loved to tease you. His hope was always that you would tease right back. Gene loved talking to friends and strangers alike and could find fun in everyone he met and everywhere he went. He found these friends in IBM, at the church, at the beach, playing sports, in the neighborhood, at the Elks Club and in his extended family everywhere. He loved to swing dance with his wife, Mary, and their dance club became a rich source for many friendships.

He is missed dearly by all who knew him.