Eugene Fairbanks

1921 - 2021

Eugene Fairbanks
March 20, 1921 - December 13, 2021
Bellingham, Washington - A memorial service for Eugene Fairbanks will be held at 11:00am on Saturday March 19th at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 2925 James Street, Bellingham, WA
Eugene Fox Fairbanks passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 13, 2021. He was 100 years and 9 months old. Eugene was born March 20, 1921, in Eugene, Oregon. He was the second of eight sons and two daughters of Avard Tennyson and Beatrice Maude Fox Fairbanks. His father held a professorship of art at the University of Oregon.
When Eugene was seven years old, the family moved to Florence, Italy, where his father pursued advanced sabbatical studies in fine arts. The following year his father accepted an appointment as a professor of art at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. There Eugene attended public school taking special interests in natural science, Boy Scouts, and assisting his father in the university sculpture studio. He attended the University of Michigan, earned a BA degree in Chemistry, and continued his education at the university in medicine. During medical school he enlisted in the U.S. Army Specialized Training Program, was commissioned as a Captain, and served two years at the end of WWII as a physician in the US Army Medical Corp. He served on Army transport ships crossing the Pacific Ocean on two voyages.
Eugene met Florence Sundwall, the love of his life, in Ann Arbor where she was helping her sister Nellie recover from hip surgery. They married on December 19, 1944, in the Latter-Day Saint temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. The couple lived in Michigan until his graduation and during his internship. They lived in the Ballard district of Seattle during his military service at Fort Lawton. As they reared their family, they lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, Kennewick, Washington, and again in Seattle for two years during residency in anesthesiology. The family moved to Bellingham, Washington in 1959 to establish his dual practice in anesthesiology and family medicine.
Florence passed away on November 30, 2013. Together they raised 10 children, an even split of 5 boys and 5 girls of whom they are very proud: Eugene S. (Carolee); Suzanne (Daniel) Weller; Lenore (John) Frodsham; Mary A. (Richard) Gammenthaler; Marcus A. (Catherine); Peter N. (Julie); Christopher N. (Jane); Laura D. (Douglas) Tobin; John L.(Patti); Virginia L. (Richard) Johnson. Eugene and Florence were proud of their forty-two grandchildren, eighty five great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
Eugene was very accomplished in his profession and in personal interests, his legacy includes:
A Safe Return The fishermen's memorial placed at Zuanich Point Park in Bellingham. Using skills learned from his father, and with help from his brother, Justin Fairbanks, they created a heroic bronze memorial to honor Bellingham fishermen who have been lost while pursuing their livelihood.
The Sound and the Sea, a college textbook co-authored with the late Dr. Charles Flora, and others.
Books that he authored about the Sculpture of his father, Avard T. Fairbanks: A Sculptor's Testimony in Bronze and Stone; A Sculpture Garden of Fantasy; and Abraham Lincoln Sculpture, Human Proportions for Artists, Children's Proportions for Artists, Creating a Portrait of George Washington, Creating a Statuette of Pele; A Sculptor's Christmas Story, Adventures of a Young Sculptor, and Medals, Medallions, and Relief Sculpture created by A.T. Fairbanks.
The family wishes to thank Eugene's friends, professional associates, acquaintances, and neighbors for sharing their lives with him. He enjoyed being of service to all. Thanks also to the staff of Orchard Park, and volunteers and staff of Whatcom Hospice Foundation who have been helpful and supportive in Eugene's final days. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Whatcom Hospice Foundation in memory of Dr. Eugene F. Fairbanks.