Eugene Raymond “Gene” Brower passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 8, 2020 at Stafford Mary Washington Hospital where the doctors and nursing staff were incredibly caring. Gene was born in Franklin County, Ohio on August 12, 1928, the son of Henry L. Brower and Hazel Poling Brower. With his mother and his brother, Edward, he grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia near the town of Verona. Gene married Peggy Joyce Moore on January 29, 1949 at Augusta Stone Presbyterian Church in Ft. Defiance, VA. With their daughters, they made their home in Staunton, VA until they moved to Fredericksburg in 1969. In 1972, Gene became a “fixture in town” when he and Peggy opened Colonial Electrical Distributors, Inc., an electrical, electronics & lighting wholesaler and distributor. When Peggy became very ill in 1998, Gene sold the business and cared for Peggy until she passed away in 2002. They were married for 53 years. Always active in the communities where he lived, Gene was a long time member in the Staunton-Augusta Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). He was heavily involved in the communications sections of the Middle East Region of the CAP as well. He was a deacon in the First Presbyterian Church in Staunton. In Fredericksburg, he was a member of The Presbyterian Church, the Fredericksburg Rotary Club, & the Fredericksburg Area Homebuilders Association. He also was a member of the National Association of Electrical Distributors and the National Home Lighting Association. Gene became a charter resident in October 2011 in the independent living section of the Crossings at Falls Run (now Harmony at Falls Run). As he moved from independent to assisted living, he and his family received wonderful care and support from all the staff at Harmony. Family was very important to Gene, also known as Papa, and he was loved and adored. Survivors include his two daughters, Debra Brower Leimer (Paul) of Fredericksburg, and Wendy Brower Gayle (Alan) of Crozet; grandchildren Kenneth Eugene Leimer (Heather) of Hampstead, NC, Sarah Leimer Hawley (Colin) of Oak Hill, Anna Joyce Gayle Henry (John) of Charlottesville, Leigh Gayle Goetschius (John) of Harrisonburg, and Kathleen Elizabeth Gayle of Washington, DC; and four great-grandchildren Erik, Brooke, Finn, and Major. A service for immediate family will be held at The Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg and he will be laid to rest in Sunset Memorial Gardens alongside the love of his life, Peggy. Memorial contributions can be made to The Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg or The Boys Home of Virginia in Covington. Online guest book is available at covenantfuneralservice.com.
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