Clear, 58° F
(Oct. 16, 2009)
Beloved mother, grandmother and friend, Gene Gae (Havig) Ford died Friday, Oct. 16.
Gene was born to Eugene and Alice Showalter on April 2, 1925 in Lovell. She was the youngest of six children, now all deceased. She grew up in Lovell and graduated from Lovell High School in 1943, attended Billings Business College and worked as a secretary for Pierce Packing in Billings and Ohio Oil in Lovell.
She married Richard A. “Dick” Havig in 1947 in Lovell. They moved to Powell in 1948. Gene and Dick raised five children together in Powell: Kandace Kae, Richard E., Dennis, Dee and Debra.
While living in Powell, Gene was the bookkeeper and manager of the family oilfield construction company. She also taught dancing, twirling and tumbling to children in the community. She was active in school and community affairs and was the president of the Wyoming Professional Woman’s Association at one time. She loved to play golf, bowl, play bridge and was a great dancer. She encouraged and supported all her children in whatever creative or athletic interests they were involved in.
Gene and Dick were divorced after raising their children, and Gene moved to Tempe, Ariz. in 1978, where she was the apartment manager of a large complex. She married Charles E. Ford in 1984 in Tempe. They moved back to Powell to retire, and Charles now resides with his family in Arizona.
Gene is survived by her husband; children Kandace Kae Reuter (Dennis) of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Richard E. Havig (Tracy) of Evanston, Dennis Havig (Debbie) of Atlanta, Ga., Dee Havig (Julie) of Powell, and Debra Capps (Rick) of Mesa, Ariz.; 23 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and 1 great-great-grandchild.
Gene was a wonderful mother and a gracious friend who was the hub of the family circle and the glue that held the family together.
A memorial service was held on October 19 at the United Methodist Church in Powell.
