Major Eugene (Gene) Hugh Haskins, USAF Retired, age 87, of Tampa, Florida, formerly Bristol, Tennessee; was welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven on January 01, 2021. He passed peacefully in his sleep after a prolonged struggle with declining health.
Eugene was born on January 20, 1933 in Muskegon, Michigan and moved with his family to Bristol, Tennessee following WWII. He was a graduate of Bristol Tennessee High School, received a Bachelor of Science in Physics from King College. After college, he married Mary Lou Good then entered the United States Air Force and had a 20-year career proudly serving his country. They had five children and moved around the world during his military career. After retiring, he worked at Sperry Univac in Bristol, while pursuing his master’s degree in Business Administration from East Tennessee State University which he attained in 1984. He left Sperry to work at King College in the computer/IT department for the remainder of his working days.
After the passing of his first wife and mother of his children Mary Lou in 2003, he married Bonnie Yvonne Honaker. The two attended grievance counseling with their pastor as Bonnie had also lost her spouse in the same timeframe. What began as two friends grieving together budded into romance and they married later that year. They all were close friends and part of a social group called the “Depression Club”, if you knew any of them, you would know this group was anything but “depressed”; as they enjoyed vacations, game nights and dinners together over many years. Gene enjoyed a happy, fulfilling marriage of 18 years with Bonnie until his death. There was never a more dedicated or loving husband, father, and grandfather than Gene as evidenced by those surrounding him with love during his final hours.
He was an accomplished pianist, loved music, photography, and was briefly a private pilot. He was a man of deep faith, and for many years sang in the choirs of the many churches he attended. He was a jovial, kind man with a ready smile that
would melt your heart, a hearty laugh, and always a kind word for his fellow man.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edna and Hugh, his brother Bradley, and his first wife Mary Lou. He is survived by his second wife Bonnie, his brother Michael(wife Judy), five children: Gary (wife Terri), Kerry(wife Lisa), Jeff (wife Melissa), Amy, Christopher, and stepson Greg (wife Kim), 12 grandchildren, two great grandchildren and his pup Misha.
A memorial service for Eugene will be held on January 23,2021 at 3 pm at Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club, Tampa Florida. There will be a graveside ceremony where his ashes will be interred in his hometown of Bristol, Tennessee at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to King University in Bristol, Tennessee (https://www.king.edu) or the Air Force Aid Society (https://afas.org).
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