Gene Weisshaar, 81, passed away at his home in Loveland, Colorado on December 22, 2022 due to Parkinson’s with dementia. He was born on May 6, 1941 in Burlington, Colorado, the son of William and Frieda (Adolf) Weisshaar. He spent his childhood in Idalia and Yuma, graduating from Yuma Union High School in 1959.
Gene married Kathryn Sanders of Montrose, Illinois in 1965. He received his Bachelor’s degree from CSU and his Master’s degree from Colorado State College. He taught biology at Long Island Lutheran High School and at St. John’s College and Academy in Winfield, Kansas. He then attended Wesley School of Nursing in Wichita, Kansas and became an RN, working at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, Illinois and then at Montrose Memorial Hospital in Montrose, Colorado for 25 years. During the last several years of his career there, he worked at the psychiatric and substance abuse care center, a position to which he felt a deep connection. After retiring, he moved to Fort Collins and later to Loveland.
Throughout, Gene was dedicated to service work in his community and beyond, through Habitat for Humanity, building houses in Montrose and in other countries through four international trips, and working at the ReStore in Fort Collins. He also served on the social ministry committee of his church in Montrose, where he originated many impactful projects. He gave of himself—to his students, to his patients, and to his family.
Gene is survived by his brothers, Junior and Dennis, and his sister, Eileen Rheuark. He is also survived by his wife, Kathy, their two sons Chad (of Boulder, Colorado) and Ryan (of New York City, with his wife Christine McCarthy), and their two grandchildren, Elenore and Sebastian Weisshaar.
Gene’s wishes were that his body be donated to scientific research. There are no services planned at this time. Memorials may be made to Habitat for Humanity of Loveland or Montrose, the ELCA World Hunger Fund, or to the donor’s choice.
2022-12-30