Colonel Eugene Mcnenney

Retired Colonel Eugene McNenney died 9 April 2011 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident on 2 April 2011. Eugene was born 7 January 1918 in Velasco, Cuba to Edward and Evangelina McNenney. His family moved to Tampa, Florida where he started and completed school at Hillsborough High School. He played multiple sports while in school; basketball, baseball and track. Success at baseball lead him to be invited to play for a minor league in Florida. However, his heart was set on being an engineer; so for the next four years he studied engineering while playing basketball and baseball on a scholarship for Georgia Tech. He was active in ROTC and was called to duty in the Army Air Corp in June 1942 at Tinker Field. He was one semester short of graduation and returned to GT after WWII to graduate with an Engineering Degree. While stationed at Tinker he met Janette Huggins, dating for a few months, they married on 31 December 1942. In the spring of 1943 he was sent to France and England for 26 months to serve in WWII. He also served in the Korean Conflict. He worked as a civilian at Tinker and then FAA for 30 years. He continued to serve the USAF through the Air National Guard moving up the ranks and finally serving as a Colonel. He retired from the Air Guard and FAA the same year at the age of 55. Retirement lasted about six months, when he took a job with the State of Oklahoma at the Capitol. He worked with many contractors and sought bids for work at the Governor's Mansion and the Capitol. He retired again when he was 72, only to immediately get involved with the Third Age Life Senior program at Pacer's Fitness Center. He again was playing ball; softball now and volleyball. He was active at Northwest Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He served as Chair to the Board, Membership, Stewardship, Property and Evangelism. He taught 1st grade Sunday school with Janette for 33 years, retiring for about a year when they both decided they missed teaching and returned to the class and taught another 7 years. He served actively as an Elder for over 50 years. He loved doing work for the church. His smile was contagious and his eyes always had a twinkle in them. He and his son, Bruce, talked mostly about what stocks to buy and how the stock market was doing. They both liked working in the yard, so weed killer, fertilizer, reel or rotary lawnmowers, became a discussion every year when the grass turned green. Throughout the years he was active with his grandsons. He never missed a football, basketball or baseball game James played. Although unfamiliar with the game of soccer, he attended many games to watch John play. Putnam City gave him a lifetime pass to sporting events. He was good at pool and Colin and he played many games together, as did James and John. In the last few years, he and Janette had slowed down on their lunch outings and ventures of driving around, letting their daughter, Jeanie, chauffer them to lunch and long afternoon drives. Jim's Restaurant had become a favorite and if Gene and Janette were not with Jeanie, that is where you would find them for lunch, eating BLT's with fries. Over the years he always had a dog and 2 or 3 cats. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Edward, Julio, and William, his sisters, Herminia (Nena), Elisa, Amalia, Bertha and Helen, his son, Bruce and grandson, John C. Caldwell. He is survived by his sister, Ophelia, of Georgia; his wife of 68 years, Janette; his daughter, Jeanie and her husband Charles. He is also survived by his grandchildren, James (Kristen) Caldwell of McKinney, TX, Colin E. Caldwell of Dallas TX, and Connie (Jason) Proctor of McKinney, TX. His great-grandchildren, Jack, Claire and Emma Caldwell of McKinney, TX and Ashley and Olivia Proctor of McKinney, TX survive him as well.