JARALD EUGENE “Gene” HIGH, (April 28, 1939 to September 23, 2012) 73 years of age, survived by his wife of 52 years Carol Kinnard High (72) of Grand Prairie, TX and his three children, one daughter: Dr Kim Jameson (and her partner Laura Gabriel, RN) of Happy Valley, OR, and two sons: Brent Eugene High of Grand Prairie, TX and Dr Bart High (and his wife Kelly Boren High) and two grandchildren Luke and Sarah High of Petal, Mississippi.
Gene is also survived by his sister, Charliene High Hooker, her husband, Bill Hamilton of Houston, TX and their son, Jay Hooker, RN and his partner, Rick Ankrom of Houston as well as their daughter, Dr. Jonna Whitman, her husband, Doug and their two children of Nashville, TN ; also Gene's brother, Terry High, his wife, Kathy Hill High of Grand Prairie and their daughter, Cheri High Ramsey, her husband, Troy and their six children of Searcy, AR as well as their son Brandon High, his wife, Kimberly, and their daughter of Grand Prairie.
Gene was an Electrical Engineer and inventor with over 66 patents including the Jet Sweep conveyor belt oven used in countless pizza establishments worldwide. Earlier in his career, he built power supplies and pioneered technology used at the dawn of satellite communications systems and the Saturn space program, which took men to the moon.
He was a lifelong blackpowder gun enthusiast and outdoorsman and made his own revolutionary war era blackpowder replica of the Ferguson Rifle. He was a lifetime member of the NRA, Aurora Blackpowder club, and a founding member of the Duck Creek Freetrappers and the first Texas Knife and Hawk Champion. He was well known for designing and manufacturing competition throwing knives and “hawks” (historically accurate tomahawks) that would have dated before 1840. He also invented Gene High's seasoning gun lube for blackpowder rifles which allowed more accurate shooting with less need for cleaning.
He had heart problems that required him to have a heart pump called an LVAD that ran with the use of batteries. He even designed a solar panel charger for his battery packs so he could attend his wilderness activities, the only man in the world to have this type of charger.
He was known for his clever wit and generous sense of humor. His favorite saying was “Don't sweat the small stuff.”
Funeral services will be held at 10am on Wednesday, September 26, 2012, at First Baptist Church in Grand Prairie with Dr. Bill Skaar officiating. Burial will follow at 3pm at High Family Cemetery in Van Zandt County. Visitation will be on Tuesday from 7pm to 9pm at Bean Massey Burge Funeral Home on Dalworth Street.
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