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Gene Ainsworth Obituary
November 30, 1935 - January 21, 2024
Lompoc - A former Engineer at White Sands Missile Range, a world traveled Heavy Gear Deep Sea Diver for Oceaneering/Ocean Systems.
He is survived by his wife, Teresa Teri Weidenfeller, of 13 years, son Glenn, g.kids Mark & Clara, s.kids Tony & Vani, sisters Dot & Viv.
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Memories and Condolences
for Gene Ainsworth
JACK MCCLURE
December 3, 2025
A good friend and man.
Shared experiences and exploits. Especially enjoyed his writing conveying his life experiens and exploits.
Gene lived life according his terms. A Brilliant mind
His writing describes life according to Gene. Those of us who interaced were a lucky group.
I especially liked his Summerland tales.
Vanessia Martinez
March 14, 2024
Vanessia Martinez
March 14, 2024
Vanessia Martinez
March 14, 2024
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Vanessia Martinez
March 14, 2024
Vanessia Martinez
March 13, 2024
Vanessia Martinez
March 13, 2024
Vanessia Martinez
March 13, 2024
Gene, I am so thankful that God blessed me with the BEST step dad in the WHOLE WORLD! They just don´t make them like you anymore! You are truly one of a kind! I feel that I have SO much to say as I type with tears in my eyes. I´m crying mostly because my heart is filled with so many amazing memories of you and my Mom. I´m crying because I am going to miss you so much and I´m so incredibly thankful for you. Thank you for being such an amazing husband to my Mom. I am so glad that the two of you met because after watching the two of you love birds for so many years from when I was in school living with you both until now I have come to the realization that you two really truly needed each other and were absolutely 100% destined to be together. God does not make mistakes. Your marriage was based on true love one that most people would give anything to have. I think back to when I was in college and Genes friends would come over and Gene would speak so highly of me. He would brag about me studying all the time and getting good grades. He would do the same to my Mom and brag about her gardening skills to me. It was the sweetest thing ever really. I never ever wanted look back and regret not spending enough time with you so in my adult years despite working incredibly long hours I always made a very strong effort to visit you and my Mom at least once a month not only because I loved spending time with the two of you but because I love you both so much. Words just can´t describe how much sadness was in my heart when my Mom called me to tell me you passed. I immediately got off the phone and called 3 different people who I am very close to so that we could pray for Gene. Each call was about 45-60 minutes of praying while I was on my knees. Immediately after having Tricia, Eva & Timea pray for Gene with me. I got in my car and drove to my Mom. I was praying almost the entire way to Lompoc listening to this song "Worthy" by Elevation Worship. Gene I love you so much more than you even know. I am so excited for the day that we can finally rejoice in Heaven.
Teresa Teri Ainsworth
March 13, 2024
A good man, missed so very much, and a proud Veteran (Marines).
Sylvia
March 4, 2024
Sending condolences to dear Dorothy who was a wonderful sister to her adoring brother. A beautiful family!
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 27, 2024
dorothy Ainsworth
February 27, 2024
Equipment Gene dove from on extremely deep dives.
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 23, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 23, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 23, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 23, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 23, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 23, 2024
Gene at work. Still diving at age 70.
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 23, 2024
Re: photo below of Gene in hat and tie is with his niece Cynthia Smalley, professional photographer, who took his diving suit photos.
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 22, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 22, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 22, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 22, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 22, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 22, 2024
Photographer neice Cynthia took diving suit pics of Uncle Gene.
Anthony Martinez
February 5, 2024
I wanted to start by saying thank you to gene for everything l. Hes impacted many lives and I´m one of them.the conversations and time spent I will hold dearly to me for the rest of my life. All the stories he shared with me I´m so grateful for. His smile is something I never want to forget. I will always remember how astonished he was with my running and cooking because it take a good runner and cook to know one. Thank you gene for everything you did for everyone and the love and blessings you gave threw out you life especially me. From the bottom of my heart I will miss you dearly. Until we meet again "sir" can´t wait to chat with you once more.
T.Teri Ainsworth
February 4, 2024
Poem to my beloved husband
Life is like the ocean. It can be calm or still, rough or rigid, but in the end it was always beautiful when I was with you.
Missing you bunches my Love
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 2, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 2, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 2, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 2, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 2, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
February 2, 2024
Dorothy Ainswoth
January 31, 2024
Gene and Sis Dorothy 2022
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 31, 2024
Gene and Sis Dorothy 2022
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 31, 2024
Photo of Gene and wife Teri
Zane Cruz
January 30, 2024
Zane Cruz
January 29, 2024
Zane Cruz
January 29, 2024
My GREAT Uncle Gene by grand nephew Zane Cruz, 22.
My great uncle Gene was always a mysterious figure to me growing up, with great stories of diving and being in the military. He took a liking to me (ie teaching me how to throw knives as a kid and practicing shooting) and he was fascinated by my partial native American heritage (Apache), and we often discussed native traditions.
My uncle Gene didn´t live close (Calif.) but whenever he visited us in Oregon it was a memorable event. The last time I saw my uncle Gene I had a great time going over his biographical book with him--"Saltwater Nomad". He read me some passages on the second book he was writing and took time to listen and ask for advice on editing his story to make sure some common-minded reader like myself would understand when it came to the world of diving. I was honored to hear everything he had to say, and honored that he asked me to put in my 2 cents.
You never know when the last time you´ll see someone you love, admire, and respect.
I´m glad we got to have such a good last time in October of 2023.
I am so lucky and proud to have had him as my uncle.
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 28, 2024
Gene´s profile and obituary (1935 to 2024):
Gene excelled in science and math, was president of the Science Club, on the honor roll for 4 years, and graduated with an Honor Roll Society scholarship to the University of New Mexico in Las Cruces where he majored in mechanical engineering and minored in math and metallurgy. He was an experienced telescope maker and optics expert so he was hired at White Sands Rocket Proving Grounds, and worked there while going to college.
But he was an adventure seeker, so when he grew bored of desk work as an engineer, he joined the Marines and ended up as the Marine-base Beach Master In Okinawa for 4 years where he taught SCUBA diving for military operations, then later on got seriously into industrial deep-sea saturation-diving for oil companies-as his chosen career to make money.
He traveled the world running crews of divers for oil companies, digging for oil, welding underwater, and laying electrical lines on the sea floor. As the supervisor on various huge diving rigs, and the most experienced diver, he always did the most dangerous dives himself, such as hard-hat diving to 220 feet on compressed air, 300 feet on compressed helios gas, and bell-diving to depths of 600 feet in the North Sea, thus has a track record of never losing a crew man in his 40 years of commercial diving. Saturation diving requires hours, sometime days, of decompression. He practiced his guitar and wrote poetry and read books while in the decompression chamber, never wasting a moment.
He retired at 81 and designed, built, & tested diving helmets, rode motorcycles, swam every day in his pool, & enjoyed his two grand kids by his son (a boy and a girl). He was in good health with a sinewy physique, deep voice, and witty sense of curmudgeonly humor to hide his soft and kind interior.
He had impeccable character, was honest to a fault, loyal, and generous, but nobody´s fool. He said he had no fear of anything but boredom, so when he was "resting" he read voraciously.
He wrote 5 books of poetry and ballads about his exploits all over the world: Verse and Perverse, Nothing Sacred, Cock and Bull, Rainy Day Rhymes, In Deep Water/Songs of the Sea. His prose/poetry is fun and exciting to read because it´s not only non-fiction story-telling at its finest but philosophical, satirical, and humorous, often with a punch-line moral at the end. He also transcribed 3 bio-books originally written by close relatives, for posterity, and distributed them to family members.
In 2019 Gene published his unique autobiography titled "Saltwater Nomad", about his adventurous life, including his younger years as a deep sea diver.
I am Gene´s younger sister (class of `60). I have always greatly admired both of my brothers, and not without reason. Leonard (class of `55) and Gene (class of `54) both excelled at everything they did, and if they were perceived as nerds in high school, (straight A students), they were anything BUT. Gene turned out to be the bravest, most daring, intelligent, & multi-talented manly man I have ever known. He was my hero.
Gene was an artist, cartoonist, mechanic, craftsman builder, deep sea diver, mountain climber, inventor, astronomer, telescope maker, musician (guitar and violin), poet, writer, sculptor, scientist (chemist/physicist), mathematician, engineer, walking encyclopedia, and many more qualities too numerous to list here. In my opinion, Charles Bronson and Sean Connery don't hold a candle to the likes of Gene.
Gene once said: "There are old divers and there are bold divers, but there aren´t any old bold divers." Well, I know at least ONE. I asked him recently how he survived such a risky career for 40 years, and his droll curmudgeonly reply was: "If you have a dangerous job, it's very unprofessional to get killed."
That was Gene.....
After Gene´s first wife died in 2010, he met his lovely second wife, Teri, in 2011, and lived happily for 13 years until he died at age 88 on January 21, 2024. We all loved, admired, and respected our legendary Gene. He was an amazing man!
May he rest in peace.
Dorothy, one of Gene´s 3 sisters
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 28, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 28, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 28, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 28, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 28, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 28, 2024
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 28, 2024
Gene once said: "There are old divers and there are bold divers, but there aren´t any old bold divers." Well, I know at least ONE. I asked him recently how he survived such a risky career for 40 years, and his droll curmudgeonly reply was: "If you have a dangerous job, it's very unprofessional to get killed."
That was Gene.....
Cynthia Smalley
January 28, 2024
Gene Ainsworth ~A Kind & Truly Good Man, Marine, World Wide Deep Sea Diver, Author, Musician, Scientist, Husband, Father, Brother, Uncle.
You had a full life, of adventure, work, love and so much more. RIP my beloved Uncle. You are missed now, and will be forever ...
Eric Ainsworth
January 27, 2024
Gene Ainsworth died at 88 on Jan.21,2024. A great man- He'll be cremated in his Marine regalia, and Mom is writing his obituary.
I had a great personal relationship with Gene. We were both science freaks since I was a young teenager.
I used to call him for advice on homemade rocket propellants etc. He always had the answers. He was a master of Chemistry, Metallurgy, and Optics. He and Leonard were exemplary human beings
He helped me build my Telescope after I spent a summer grinding the optics for a 6" Newtonian reflector . I could read the wristwatch of a person a mile a way when it was finished. Gene was a true genius.
His nephew, Eric
Dorothy Ainsworth
January 27, 2024
Donald Schuyler (1954)
Gene, I am so sorry to see you have passed on dear friend.
You were always such a quiet, friendly and unassuming guy in high school, but always one of the many smart "kids" in our class. It was good for me to have taken all those math and science classes with you and others, you all were a great stimulus on me to do better. Never got there but the journey was worth it.
I remember our 50th class reunion when you backed your car up to Theda Franklin Cox front entry. We wondered what was going on. Then you pulled your hard dive helmut out of the trunk and showed us all about it and talked about some of your adventures, nothing as complete as sister Dorothy just wrote. That was a fun time.
Your dear sister Dorothy posted on this site such a great update in information about your career and life, IT IS WELL WORTH READING!
I want to express my condolences to Gene's family; particularly his wife Teri, sisters Dorothy and Meredith and Vivian, deceased brother Leonard as well as Gene´s son Glenn and his children.
Meredith Bowers
January 26, 2024
My big brother was a brilliant scholar and a gifted poet. To read him is to smile and then when his words settle into you, to laugh out loud. He spanned the worlds between brawn and brain, as deep sea diver and writer and an observer of human nature for the 88 years he lived. I will miss him deeply. Meredith
January 26, 2024
Wonderful Husband
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