Gene R. McCain

On February 13, Gene R. McCain “Papa”, age 90, went home to be with Jesus, surrounded

by his family.

A celebration of life will be held for Gene on Monday, March 2^nd, at 11 am at Valley Church in West Des Moines, 4343 Fuller Road.  The family will greet friends from 10 am until service time.  Gene will be inurned at the Iowa Veteran Cemetery near Adel at 2 pm with Marine Military Honors.

Gene was born on July 2, 1935, in Danville, Virginia to John “Rodgers” and Myrtle McCain.

From a young age he was shaped by his faith in the Lord, hard work and devotion to his

family. He proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps, carrying with him a

lifelong sense of honor and service.

On June 25, 1982, Gene married the love of his life, Lee “LW,” whom he met singing in their

church choir. Their marriage was rooted in faith, love, and devotion. Together they built a

life filled with joy and family.

Gene was a devoted father to Rodney McCain (Kathy) of Lake Jackson, Texas; Melanie

Norris (Mark) of Largo, Florida; Mark McCain (Bobbi) of Greer, South Carolina; Stan Watters

of Leslie, Arkansas; and Laura Phillips (JR) of West Des Moines, Iowa. He was Papa to

Jeremy, Maria, Marcus, Matthew, Samuel, Aaron, Caleb, Brandon, Cole, Gavin, and Anna

Lee. He was the great grandfather to five great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Lee and his parents, Rodgers and Myrtle McCain. He

is survived by his brothers, Ray McCain (Pat) of Columbus, Georgia and Phillip McCain

(Janice) of Keeling, Virginia.

Gene lived every day to the fullest. He ran marathons, earned his pilot’s license, enjoyed

building and flying radio-controlled aircraft, white water rafting, and especially loved riding

his Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Professionally, Gene worked in hotel management and later owned a property

management company with Lee. Even after retirement, he remained active, working at

Menards, driving a bus for St. Anthony’s and Des Moines Christian Schools, and serving at

the YMCA in Waukee, Iowa and Greenville, South Carolina.

Though we grieve his absence, we do not grieve without hope. We celebrate a life well lived

and a servant welcomed home with the words, “well done, good and faithful servant.”

(Matthew 25:21)

The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of love shown

during this time. Thank you for the prayers, meals, calls, visits, cards, and every act of

kindness. Your support has been a true blessing and a reflection of Christ’s love

surrounding our family. We are deeply grateful to each of you who have walked alongside

us during this season. We love you!

Memorials may be directed to Veterans Hospice in Des Moines or the Giving | YMCA of Greenville.