Just after sunrise on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, Genella Mae Holmes-Fitzgerald-Kinsel left this life for the next leg of her journey. Born on a Wednesday, March 18, 1925, in Larned, Kansas, Genell was the first child of Otis and Mary Holmes.
After a brief additional stay in Ness City, KS, her family moved to Kewanee, Illinois, where she graduated from high school in 1943. She then followed her family to Portland, Oregon, as part of the war effort.
It was while in Portland she decided to marry Merle (Fitz) Fitzgerald. She knew Merle from Kansas and stayed in touch throughout his war time service in the US Navy. At the conclusion of the war she traveled from Portland to Newport, Rhode Island, where they married.
After Merle was mustered out of the Navy, they traveled back across the US to Toledo, OR, where Genell’s parents had opened a bakery. It was in Toledo her only child, Michael, was born. After only a few months of Michael’s arrival, the family again relocated, this time to Roseburg, as owners of the Roseland Auto Court, across from the old Richie’s Drive-In on north Stephens.
To help her young family, Genell turned to part-time work at the Richie’s Drive-In during its opening and the Snack Shack before starting a career at the News-Review that lasted over 20 years. Starting as a proof reader, Genell was there for the ‘blast’ in ‘59 and the relocation of the News-Review to its present site.
Meanwhile, Merle worked briefly for the Bell System before joining Douglas Electric, where he eventually became its Superintendant before passing away in 1980.
Genell remained busy looking after her mother and volunteering through her church and other community services, and being a grandmother.
It was during that time that Leonard Kinsel’s wife died suddenly. Genell and Leonard had known each other most of their lives from Kansas and eventually realized they were meant to be together. They married in July 1995.
For the past few years they have lived at Garden Valley Retirement Community and enjoyed many friends and activities. This past December, Genell fell and broke a hip, which started a chain of health issues leading to her quiet passing.
Genell is survived by her husband, Leonard; and her son Michael and his wife Jan of Olympia, WA; and a granddaughter Cory of Seattle, WA; her brother Carl Holmes and sister Janie Guthrie reside in Roseburg. Her three stepchildren, two nieces and one nephew have enriched her with many grandchildren and great nieces and nephews.
Those are the facts, but hardly a sole measure of her life. While her family has always been her center, she never said ‘no’ to a request for a helping hand. A lifelong Christian, she served or participated in many community organizations until she was no longer able. It was her character to always be welcoming and appreciative to all.
She was a child of the Great Depression, witnessed WWII, Korea, Vietnam (which involved her son), and family involvement in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East--yet, she remained optimistic about people and refused the pessimism around her. She enjoyed life and wanted all those who shared her life to enjoy it, too. It is not surprising one of her favorite songs was ‘What A Wonderful World.’ When her health permitted she loved to travel, including multiple trips to Europe and Asia. Her travel photos say a lot about her view of the world, they were always of people, not places or things.
She was also part of the vanguard of strong women who paved the way for all women to pursue careers away from the home, a benefit her granddaughter enjoys and readily acknowledges to this day. Her love of family and friends was her strength, which she never gave up even at the end. She was a gift of the Greatest Generation and a life-long blessing to her family and many friends.
There will be a service for Genell on Friday, March 18, 2016 (her birthday), at the First Christian Church in downtown Roseburg. The service will begin at 2 p.m. A private interment will be at Roseburg Memorial Gardens, where she will join her husband, Merle.
(Obit published in the Roseburg, OR "The News-Review" on Mar. 11, 2016.)
After a brief additional stay in Ness City, KS, her family moved to Kewanee, Illinois, where she graduated from high school in 1943. She then followed her family to Portland, Oregon, as part of the war effort.
It was while in Portland she decided to marry Merle (Fitz) Fitzgerald. She knew Merle from Kansas and stayed in touch throughout his war time service in the US Navy. At the conclusion of the war she traveled from Portland to Newport, Rhode Island, where they married.
After Merle was mustered out of the Navy, they traveled back across the US to Toledo, OR, where Genell’s parents had opened a bakery. It was in Toledo her only child, Michael, was born. After only a few months of Michael’s arrival, the family again relocated, this time to Roseburg, as owners of the Roseland Auto Court, across from the old Richie’s Drive-In on north Stephens.
To help her young family, Genell turned to part-time work at the Richie’s Drive-In during its opening and the Snack Shack before starting a career at the News-Review that lasted over 20 years. Starting as a proof reader, Genell was there for the ‘blast’ in ‘59 and the relocation of the News-Review to its present site.
Meanwhile, Merle worked briefly for the Bell System before joining Douglas Electric, where he eventually became its Superintendant before passing away in 1980.
Genell remained busy looking after her mother and volunteering through her church and other community services, and being a grandmother.
It was during that time that Leonard Kinsel’s wife died suddenly. Genell and Leonard had known each other most of their lives from Kansas and eventually realized they were meant to be together. They married in July 1995.
For the past few years they have lived at Garden Valley Retirement Community and enjoyed many friends and activities. This past December, Genell fell and broke a hip, which started a chain of health issues leading to her quiet passing.
Genell is survived by her husband, Leonard; and her son Michael and his wife Jan of Olympia, WA; and a granddaughter Cory of Seattle, WA; her brother Carl Holmes and sister Janie Guthrie reside in Roseburg. Her three stepchildren, two nieces and one nephew have enriched her with many grandchildren and great nieces and nephews.
Those are the facts, but hardly a sole measure of her life. While her family has always been her center, she never said ‘no’ to a request for a helping hand. A lifelong Christian, she served or participated in many community organizations until she was no longer able. It was her character to always be welcoming and appreciative to all.
She was a child of the Great Depression, witnessed WWII, Korea, Vietnam (which involved her son), and family involvement in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East--yet, she remained optimistic about people and refused the pessimism around her. She enjoyed life and wanted all those who shared her life to enjoy it, too. It is not surprising one of her favorite songs was ‘What A Wonderful World.’ When her health permitted she loved to travel, including multiple trips to Europe and Asia. Her travel photos say a lot about her view of the world, they were always of people, not places or things.
She was also part of the vanguard of strong women who paved the way for all women to pursue careers away from the home, a benefit her granddaughter enjoys and readily acknowledges to this day. Her love of family and friends was her strength, which she never gave up even at the end. She was a gift of the Greatest Generation and a life-long blessing to her family and many friends.
There will be a service for Genell on Friday, March 18, 2016 (her birthday), at the First Christian Church in downtown Roseburg. The service will begin at 2 p.m. A private interment will be at Roseburg Memorial Gardens, where she will join her husband, Merle.
(Obit published in the Roseburg, OR "The News-Review" on Mar. 11, 2016.)
Just after sunrise on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, Genella Mae Holmes-Fitzgerald-Kinsel left this life for the next leg of her journey. Born on a Wednesday, March 18, 1925, in Larned, Kansas, Genell was the first child of Otis and Mary Holmes.
After a brief additional stay in Ness City, KS, her family moved to Kewanee, Illinois, where she graduated from high school in 1943. She then followed her family to Portland, Oregon, as part of the war effort.
It was while in Portland she decided to marry Merle (Fitz) Fitzgerald. She knew Merle from Kansas and stayed in touch throughout his war time service in the US Navy. At the conclusion of the war she traveled from Portland to Newport, Rhode Island, where they married.
After Merle was mustered out of the Navy, they traveled back across the US to Toledo, OR, where Genell’s parents had opened a bakery. It was in Toledo her only child, Michael, was born. After only a few months of Michael’s arrival, the family again relocated, this time to Roseburg, as owners of the Roseland Auto Court, across from the old Richie’s Drive-In on north Stephens.
To help her young family, Genell turned to part-time work at the Richie’s Drive-In during its opening and the Snack Shack before starting a career at the News-Review that lasted over 20 years. Starting as a proof reader, Genell was there for the ‘blast’ in ‘59 and the relocation of the News-Review to its present site.
Meanwhile, Merle worked briefly for the Bell System before joining Douglas Electric, where he eventually became its Superintendant before passing away in 1980.
Genell remained busy looking after her mother and volunteering through her church and other community services, and being a grandmother.
It was during that time that Leonard Kinsel’s wife died suddenly. Genell and Leonard had known each other most of their lives from Kansas and eventually realized they were meant to be together. They married in July 1995.
For the past few years they have lived at Garden Valley Retirement Community and enjoyed many friends and activities. This past December, Genell fell and broke a hip, which started a chain of health issues leading to her quiet passing.
Genell is survived by her husband, Leonard; and her son Michael and his wife Jan of Olympia, WA; and a granddaughter Cory of Seattle, WA; her brother Carl Holmes and sister Janie Guthrie reside in Roseburg. Her three stepchildren, two nieces and one nephew have enriched her with many grandchildren and great nieces and nephews.
Those are the facts, but hardly a sole measure of her life. While her family has always been her center, she never said ‘no’ to a request for a helping hand. A lifelong Christian, she served or participated in many community organizations until she was no longer able. It was her character to always be welcoming and appreciative to all.
She was a child of the Great Depression, witnessed WWII, Korea, Vietnam (which involved her son), and family involvement in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East--yet, she remained optimistic about people and refused the pessimism around her. She enjoyed life and wanted all those who shared her life to enjoy it, too. It is not surprising one of her favorite songs was ‘What A Wonderful World.’ When her health permitted she loved to travel, including multiple trips to Europe and Asia. Her travel photos say a lot about her view of the world, they were always of people, not places or things.
She was also part of the vanguard of strong women who paved the way for all women to pursue careers away from the home, a benefit her granddaughter enjoys and readily acknowledges to this day. Her love of family and friends was her strength, which she never gave up even at the end. She was a gift of the Greatest Generation and a life-long blessing to her family and many friends.
There will be a service for Genell on Friday, March 18, 2016 (her birthday), at the First Christian Church in downtown Roseburg. The service will begin at 2 p.m. A private interment will be at Roseburg Memorial Gardens, where she will join her husband, Merle.
(Obit published in the Roseburg, OR "The News-Review" on Mar. 11, 2016.)
After a brief additional stay in Ness City, KS, her family moved to Kewanee, Illinois, where she graduated from high school in 1943. She then followed her family to Portland, Oregon, as part of the war effort.
It was while in Portland she decided to marry Merle (Fitz) Fitzgerald. She knew Merle from Kansas and stayed in touch throughout his war time service in the US Navy. At the conclusion of the war she traveled from Portland to Newport, Rhode Island, where they married.
After Merle was mustered out of the Navy, they traveled back across the US to Toledo, OR, where Genell’s parents had opened a bakery. It was in Toledo her only child, Michael, was born. After only a few months of Michael’s arrival, the family again relocated, this time to Roseburg, as owners of the Roseland Auto Court, across from the old Richie’s Drive-In on north Stephens.
To help her young family, Genell turned to part-time work at the Richie’s Drive-In during its opening and the Snack Shack before starting a career at the News-Review that lasted over 20 years. Starting as a proof reader, Genell was there for the ‘blast’ in ‘59 and the relocation of the News-Review to its present site.
Meanwhile, Merle worked briefly for the Bell System before joining Douglas Electric, where he eventually became its Superintendant before passing away in 1980.
Genell remained busy looking after her mother and volunteering through her church and other community services, and being a grandmother.
It was during that time that Leonard Kinsel’s wife died suddenly. Genell and Leonard had known each other most of their lives from Kansas and eventually realized they were meant to be together. They married in July 1995.
For the past few years they have lived at Garden Valley Retirement Community and enjoyed many friends and activities. This past December, Genell fell and broke a hip, which started a chain of health issues leading to her quiet passing.
Genell is survived by her husband, Leonard; and her son Michael and his wife Jan of Olympia, WA; and a granddaughter Cory of Seattle, WA; her brother Carl Holmes and sister Janie Guthrie reside in Roseburg. Her three stepchildren, two nieces and one nephew have enriched her with many grandchildren and great nieces and nephews.
Those are the facts, but hardly a sole measure of her life. While her family has always been her center, she never said ‘no’ to a request for a helping hand. A lifelong Christian, she served or participated in many community organizations until she was no longer able. It was her character to always be welcoming and appreciative to all.
She was a child of the Great Depression, witnessed WWII, Korea, Vietnam (which involved her son), and family involvement in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East--yet, she remained optimistic about people and refused the pessimism around her. She enjoyed life and wanted all those who shared her life to enjoy it, too. It is not surprising one of her favorite songs was ‘What A Wonderful World.’ When her health permitted she loved to travel, including multiple trips to Europe and Asia. Her travel photos say a lot about her view of the world, they were always of people, not places or things.
She was also part of the vanguard of strong women who paved the way for all women to pursue careers away from the home, a benefit her granddaughter enjoys and readily acknowledges to this day. Her love of family and friends was her strength, which she never gave up even at the end. She was a gift of the Greatest Generation and a life-long blessing to her family and many friends.
There will be a service for Genell on Friday, March 18, 2016 (her birthday), at the First Christian Church in downtown Roseburg. The service will begin at 2 p.m. A private interment will be at Roseburg Memorial Gardens, where she will join her husband, Merle.
(Obit published in the Roseburg, OR "The News-Review" on Mar. 11, 2016.)
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