Eugene (Gene) Greenlee, a former mayor of Clearwater, passed away peacefully at his home in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Nov. 9, with his family by his side.

Gene was born in Wichita on Sept. 14, 1937. His parents were F. Stewart and Audrie (Gladfelter) Greenlee. He moved to Haysville with his family when he was in the sixth grade. After completing his years in the Haysville schools, it was necessary for him to make a choice of which of three high schools to attend since at that time Haysville did not have a high school in its district. He chose Clearwater High School where his older brother, Fred, and his sister, Carol, were attending. It was at CHS that he met the love of his life, JoEllen Forward.

After graduating from high school in 1956, he worked for a short time at Boeing Airplane Company. He soon joined his parents at the family business, Greenlee’s Glass Company, in Wichita.

Gene and JoEllen were married in Clearwater on Dec. 28, 1957. They lived in Wichita for a year and then made their home in Clearwater where their two daughters, Kathy Jo and Cindy Jean, were born.

While living in Clearwater, Gene served in city government for 9-1/2 years, with four of those years serving as its mayor. Gene was always proud of the improvements that were made in Clearwater during his time in city government. One example was the construction of a brand-new water tower. Due to an increased workload at the glass company in Wichita, Gene and JoEllen moved to Wichita after their daughters had graduated from high school.

Gene was a member of the Clearwater Lions Club, and the family were active members of the Clearwater United Methodist Church.

In 1992, Gene and JoEllen closed the glass shop and moved to Denver, where Gene became manager of a new warehouse and fabrication shop for United States Aluminum. He worked there until his retirement in 2005. After retiring, the couple sold their home in Aurora, Colo., and lived and traveled in their motorhome for three years. They spent 5 years living in Rockport, Texas, before moving to Lawrence, Kan., before moving back to Colorado.

Gene is survived by his wife of nearly 66 years; daughters, Kathy Greenlee (Deb Merrill) of Lenexa, and Cindy Draving (Steve) of Colorado Springs; granddaughter, Emily Draving (Dan Laman) of Louisville, Colo.; and grandson, Austin Draving of Denver.

His is also survived by his sisters, Carol Mourning of Lewisville, Texas, Patricia Miller of Orlando, Fla., and Ginger Hazen (Randy) of Mulvane; and many nieces and nephews.

Service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20, at Clearwater United Methodist Church. The visitation will be at Webb-Shinkle Mortuary on Sunday, Nov. 19, from 1 to 4 p.m. with family present.

Memorials may be sent to the following the Clearwater Fire Dept., P.O. Box 453, Clearwater, KS 67026; Clearwater Historical Museum, P.O. Box 385, Clearwater, KS 67026; or Pikes Peak Hospice, 2550 Tenderfoot Hill St., Colorado Springs, CO 80906.