Orville Eugene Englehart

Orville Eugene (Gene) Englehart, age 72, passed away after a long illness on December 17, 2020.

Gene was born in Sandwich, IL on October 2, 1948, son of the late Orville and Dora Englehart of Paw Paw, IL. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Linda, and his two sons Jeffrey and Jason (Sarah). In February 2020 he earned his favorite title of Grandpa to Elle Kathryn Englehart. He is also survived by his sister Leslie (James) Potter, brother Carl Englehart and five nieces and nephews.

After serving as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, Gene graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a B.S. in Business. He went on to hold management roles at John Deere, TSC Stores and finished his career as Director of Operations for Gateway Services in his beloved Princeton, IL.

Gene considered public service vital and spent countless hours volunteering to the betterment of his community. While living in his hometown of Paw Paw, IL, he served as a village trustee and a volunteer fireman/EMT. An avid hunter, he served on the board of Pheasants Forever and helped fundraise for pheasant habitats. Always an extremely brave man, he even assisted with youth hunting classes. Gene served on Princeton Park District Board of Directors for twenty years, acting as President for ten of those years. He was immensely proud of his role in the Zearing Park expansion project and of his time spent advocating for park districts with state representatives. These are only a few of his proudest volunteer achievements. If a cause or organization was important to Gene or his family, he was always the first person to offer help.

Family always came first to Gene, especially his two sons. He logged too many hours to count on the bleachers supporting them at their sports games. He was an athlete himself and renowned for his basketball skills on the Paw Paw High School Bulldogs. He loved passing on all his knowledge about basketball, water skiing and hunting to his sons. Although much to his boys’ disappointment, he never wanted to take home a hunting dog. Gene often left before dawn to exercise at the Metro Center but he was also famous for his sweet tooth. He never said no to a chocolate chip cookie or a slice of his favorite Hula Pie- a delicacy he discovered on his multiple trips to Maui to visit his son, Jeffrey.

Gene was known to so many as a respectful, loyal, and ethical man. Many would say the only thing that rivaled his dependability was his dry wit. He gave most of his affection to the two women in his life- his wife Linda and granddaughter Elle. Throughout their marriage Linda and Gene were rarely apart, spending their time together traveling, snow skiing and taking day trips. His life was filled with so many celebrations and highlights, but he made clear that reading books to his baby granddaughter topped them all.

A Celebration of Life will be planned in Princeton later. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Princeton Park District, Bureau County American Red Cross or the Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.