Obituary of Gene R. Helmuth

Gene passed peacefully on December 9th, 2019, exactly one month prior to his 94th birthday. Gene grew up, got married and spent his entire working career in the Bay Area. He always had a deep connection to country living as his grandfather lived on a secluded 110 acres in the mother lode country near Jackson where he became an accomplished hunter and trout fisherman. During World War II, he fought in the infamous Battle of the Bulge and was one of the first recipients of the 'super drug' penicillin. Unfortunately, he received it too late and the lower part of his right leg had to be amputated. Very few people noticed the difference as it hardly held him back in his life. He received the Purple Heart for his sacrifice to the war effort. After the war, he came back to Oakland and married his sweetheart, Greta Darrow. Their first date was at the old Oakland Oaks baseball stadium, now the home of Pixar Studios. They bought a home near the bottom of the Oakland hills and began raising a family. Gene was trained as a machinist and soon got a job at the Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in the Prosthetics Department. By the time of the Vietnam war, he was the head of the department and was using his mechanical ingenuity in making creative new designs for the returning amputees. The family moved to the more rural Castro Valley around 1960. It was there that he began restoring classic cars, many classic Corvettes and Mercedes Benz. Well into his 90's Gene was always thinking of large and small ways to make the world a better place. His children never saw repairmen, the car never went to the repair shop, Gene did everything himself. Gene and his family began to visit Clear Lake soon after he returned from the war. First in Lower Lake where he and his son Ron were always catching their limit in bass. And later in Lakeport, where Greta and Gene retired and he spent his last 38 years. Lakeport became a Mecca for family holidays and visits. Gene loved taking people out on his classic wooden boat, the "Saw Dust", his last restoration project. Gene and Greta traveled extensively during their retirement, across the United States twice and down into Mexico to Puerto Vallarta. They always came home with many stories to the quiet stillness of Lake County. In his later years, Gene was well known for his easy going nature, his kindness, fairness and his generosity. Gene was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Greta. He leaves behind his son, Ron (Beverly) Helmuth of Albuquerque and daughters Sally (Dave) Anglin of Grass Valley and Julie (Keith) Emory of Lakeport, his grandchildren Ericka Anglin of Sacramento and Dylan Anglin of Santa Rosa. He also leaves behind his dear and close friend, Pat Harpham. Rest in peace dad, you will forever be in all of our hearts.