(June 25, 1931 – December 25, 2015)
Service Information
Time, Day, Date: 2 p.m., Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Place: Lacy Funeral Home Chapel
Officiating: Rev. Buddy Wells
Disposition: East Memorial Cemetery
Services for Gene A. O’Neal, 84, retired building superintendent for First Baptist Church, who died Friday, December 25, 2015, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 30, 2015, at the Lacy Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Buddy Wells officiating. Burial will follow at East Memorial Cemetery with military honors. Visitation will be held from 6:00-8:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 29, 2015, at Lacy Funeral Home.
Gene was born in Cisco, Texas, on June 25, 1931, to Herbert E. and Jewel (Lewallen) O’Neal. He married Margie Geye on January 10, 1952, in Lamkin, Texas. Gene and Margie have been residents of Stephenville since 1973.
Gene was a retired horticulturist with pecan orchards and their crops. Gene was FFA President at Granbury High School in 1949, the year he graduated. He then went to Tarleton where he met Margie. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1964. From 1965-1973 he managed Leonard’s Pecan Orchard near Granbury. After moving to Stephenville, he worked with Wolfe Pecanlands, Comanche Pecan Company, and Pecan Valley Nut Company, planting and helping establish over 12,000 acres of pecan orchards in Comanche and Erath counties.
Gene was active in military service and served in the Texas State Guard over thirty years. He kept his reserve service active in case of a call to service and was a company commander.
Gene worked for several years at First Baptist Church of Stephenville as Building and Grounds Superintendent. He also volunteered to oversee the sound and audio equipment and television ministry for 24 years and operated the tape ministry for over 20 years. He was a deacon at First Baptist Church, Granbury, a Sunday School teacher and deacon for many years at First Baptist Church, Stephenville, as well as a deacon at Harvey Baptist Church, Stephenville, since 1998.
He was an active member of the Lions Club for many years, first in Granbury then Stephenville, where he was club President in 1982-83. He was a member of Gideons International, Texas Pecan Growers, and was a retired U.S. Army Captain. He served in the Army National Guard, the Texas State Guard, and the Army National Reserve. He spent five sessions training at Fort Benning in Georgia in basic office training.
Survivors include his wife, Margie O’Neal of Stephenville; son, James Michael OýNeal of Stephenville; daughter, Melissa Mabry and husband, Phil, of Stephenville; grandchildren, Andrew Mabry and wife, Tanner of Weatherford, Ashley Mabry of Stephenville, and Amy Mabry of Stephenville; sister, Gracie Meier of Bedford; brother-in-law, Jim Stephens of OýDonnell; and also several nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be made to Harvey Baptist Church, PO Box 981, Stephenville, TX 76401 or Gideons International, Stephenville Camp, Box 76, Stephenville, TX 76401.
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