Gene has three daughters, two sons, three grandsons, and two granddaughters. He was predeceased by his parents, two of three sisters, his half-sister, half-brother, and eldest daughter. Gene is lovingly remembered by local family members: his wife Audrey Lee, youngest child Doug Gritner (Alexis Creek), second eldest daughter Kelly Gritner-Gibbons (Prince George BC).
At “seventeen and three days old” Gene entered U.S. Navy boot camp. As a radio operator he developed abilities in electronics. Once out of the military, he built his own ham radios and enjoyed “shooting skip”.
Gene was a gifted, mainly self-trained Licensed Mechanic. He first began “pulling wrenches” when he was sixteen years old. Gene loved high performance cars. He built them, worked on them, and, when he was a young adult, had one of his own.
When he was younger, Gene enjoyed camping, fly-fishing, and snowmobiling with his family and friends. Gene was a hard-working man with a good sense of humour. He liked verbal, written and practical jokes.
Gene enjoyed listening to music and sharing it with others. For a few years in Alexis Creek he had his own unofficial radio station, which was utilized by officials for emergency messages during the 2010 Chilcotin Forest Fire season.
Gene could do anything he put his mind to and do it well: carpentry, framing, roofing, house repairs, electrical, plumbing, welding, farming, etc. Up to the week before his death, Gene continued to create and use his own practical inventions.
In his later years, Gene was proud of the greenhouses he had built and of his large vegetable and fruit gardens. Gene had kept busy working as a mechanic and caring for his pets and home. Now his hands are at rest; the memories and love remain.
No service by request of the deceased.