Gene D. Fallon
BAUDETTE - Gene D. Fallon, 85, of Baudette, Minn., died on Friday, July 24, 2009, at the Lakewood Medical Center in Baudette. Gene was born on July 19, 1924, in Duluth, Minn., to Eleanore (Kapp) Ruediger. He was the adopted son of George and Ada Fallon of Brainerd, Minn.
Gene worked at the Civilian Conservation Corps Camps in Wilton, Washkish and Big Falls, Minn. After his work with the CCC Camps he went into the United States Army at the age of 16 years and was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. He served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Ireland, England, Normandy, France, Holland, Belgium and in Germany. Gene was a member of the 456 Parachute Field Artillery Battalion B, Battery C. While serving his country he was the recipient of the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and numerous other combat awards for his service.
Gene returned home from the serving our country during World War II in 1945 and married Gladys Wrobel in Watertown, S.D., in the winter of 1946. He was employed at the Northern Pacific Railroad from 1945-1948. Then he went to work for the United State Postal Service as a letter carrier in Brainerd for 32 years retiring in 1979.
In 1975, Gene married Sharon Henson in Watertown, S.D., and following his retirement they moved to Baudette, Minn., in 1980. Gene loved wood splitting, visiting Army buddies, Army reunions, talking about old times and using his powered parachute plane. He enjoyed his family, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and was loved by all.
Gene was preceded in death by his parents and his first wife, Gladys.
Survivors include his wife, Sharon, of Baudette; his children, Melody (Del) Colwill, of Bozeman, Mont., Maureen (George) Cooper, of Brainerd, Minn., Mary Parsons, of Brainerd, Minn., Bill (Lisa) Fallon, of Elk River, Minn., Mike Fallon, of Fort Ripley, Minn.; three stepchildren; 11 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; four stepgrandchildren; five stepgreat-grandchildren; his sisters, Maxine Wakefield, of Orlando, Fla.; Ruth (Travis) Wallace, of Eatonville, Wash., Helen (Jim) Sokolowski, of Puyallup, Wash.; his brothers, Otto (Kay) Ruediger, of Sumner, Wash., and Jay Ruediger of Baudette, Minn.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, 2009, in the Helgeson Funeral Chapel in Baudette. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral in the chapel.
Interment will be 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, 2009, in the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery, Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minn.