Eugene H. O'Rourke, 93 years young, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones at his side at the Tidewell Hospice House in Sarasota Florida.

He was born in Morristown, New Jersey on July 26, 1930, to Eugene J. and Louise O'Rourke and then moved at the age of four with his sister Marilyn to a house that his father had built in Atlantic Highlands. He attended St. Agnes Roman Catholic elementary and then Red Bank Catholic High School. While in high school, he worked at his parents Pharmacy, and after high school, on January 4, 1951, enlisted in the Air Force where he rose to Sergeant. His military career started at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he received radar training and afterwards traveled to Mobile, Alabama where he worked in their Military Air Transport Service (MATS) loading parachutes into C-47 and C-54 transport planes. Then it was off to Goose Bay Labrador, located in the northern-most region of Canada. There, he was part of the Air Rescue crew that took the planes up to search for survivors on the ground.

After his honorable discharge from the service on December 10, 1954, he worked at Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems before moving onto Electronic Applications, Inc. (EAI), a major supplier of electrical analog computing equipment in the 50's & 60's. There, he supervised people working on the production line. After EAI, he was recruited to work for Bell Laboratories as a wire man where he eventually retired from in 1990.

After the service, Gene met the love of his life, Teresa Grasso, and married on September 1, 1956. They raised and are survived by three children, James O'Rourke (Mary), Kim Stone (Stu), and Sharon Ransom (Bob). He also is survived by eight grandsons, Kevin (Yara), Eric (Lisa), Brian, Sean (Sara), Kyle (Stephanie), Michael, Steven, and Christopher as well as 5 great-grandchildren; Hannah, Joshua, Samuel, Pierce and Graham.

Gene had many hobbies and interests over the years. He loved reading about American History and read many autobiographies. His hobbies included jigsaw puzzles, tennis, fishing, card games (especially bridge in his later years), and golf. His favorite football and baseball teams were the New York Jets and Mets respectively. He had a boundless desire to give back to society and as such was a long-term member of the Knights of Columbus.

Gene's family always came first and that showed throughout his life. He was involved in every aspect of their lives and the memories abound. Easter egg hunts with cousins followed by a Ham feast fit for a king; Thanksgiving gatherings where his mother would make his favorite, kartoffelklöße (potato dumplings); Christmas gatherings; family vacations; 4th of July Fireworks; memorable birthday parties where friends from the neighborhood would join in on a friendly game of baseball followed by piñata smashing and delicious homemade cake; school events; sporting events, hosting family in Florida and the Poconos and the list goes on!

Gene will always be remembered for his love of family and willingness to give back to the community. We couldn't have asked for a better father, grandfather, and great-grandfather and we will miss him every day. His memory will live on in our hearts and the hearts of all those who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gene's name to the Alzheimers Association at www.alz.org(Alzheimer's Association).