Al Gene was born on April 20, 1933 in Wichita, KS to mother, Wilma Meyer. He grew up on the family farm near Garden Plain with his mother, Grandfather Henry & younger sister Wanda Lou.  They moved to Wichita in the 1940's and he & Wanda finished out their schooling.    He graduated in 1951 from North High School where he met his sweetheart Ruth Ann through his sister Wanda, whom she was very close with. They were wed shortly after she graduated in 1954. After graduation, he started work at KG&E when he was 18 years old. He started out as a Groundman and worked his way up to Substation Foreman over the years. In 1992, after 41 years, he retired, just shy of the big merger with KPL. During the course of that time, he & Ruth welcomed a son Darrick in 1958, and their daughter Charmaine in 1960. Al Gene was a proud father & spent a lot of time doing things with them, like baseball, leading a Boy Scout troop & other various activities & vacations. He was also very involved with the church. He was a devout Christian, and made sure his family kept the Lutheran faith. 1978 brought loads of joy upon the arrival of their first granddaughter, Heidi. It wasn't long after that their family grew more in 1980 when their second granddaughter Melissa was born. Just another couple of years later their first grandson Nathen was born in 1982, and 3 short years later their second grandson Eric was born in 1985.  The family would grow again starting in 1996.  In all, Al Gene would welcome 12 great-grandchildren and 2 great great-grandchildren.  He loved spending quality time with all of them and was always willing to help in any way.  He had the best hugs and the sweetest smile.  He was also known for his orneriness, which drove Ruth crazy at times. Al Gene was a selfless man. He was kind & generous & always met even strangers with a kind "Greetings!". His faith was just as immense. He was a man of God all the way to the end. His faith & devotion to God was a light to a lot of people's paths. He always managed to let anyone who crossed his path know how great & wonderful the Lord is. Ruth and Al Gene moved to Homestead of Derby in October of 2018 after 55 years in their family home.  Even though this was a difficult move, they quickly found comfort in the wonderful staff and residents and made friends.  It did not take long to realize it was the place they were meant to be at.  The staff at Homestead will always have a very special place in all of our hearts. He was preceded in death 3 months & 2 days earlier by his wife of 65 years, Ruth Ann. He leaves 2 children, 4 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews, all of whom will cherish all of these memories & will carry on his legacy of Faith, Family & Love.