Gene E. Novell

NOVELL, Eugene E., 97, passed away in his sleep Friday afternoon August 21. He is preceded in death by his parents Charles and Fannie (nee Taylor) Novell, his wife Louise (Satterfield) Novell and his daughter Patricia Harris; brothers Kenneth, Ben and Lloyd, nephew Fred Novell, . He leaves behind his daughter Linda Gisler, Judy Holden, son Robert(Sharon) Novell, son-in-law Robert Harris, grandchildren Tracy Gene Rushing, Jennifer Moody, Jeffrey Harris, Kellie Harris, and Bobby Harris; and great grandchildren Sean, Rob, J.T., Patrick, Michael, Carson, and Hadley; and a cousin, nieces, nephews and many friends. He was a special uncle to Sondra Novell-Lay, Peggy Lambert-Novell, Ben Novell and Bill Novell.

He worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad for almost 30 years while attending night school He graduated from Washington University and went on to SIU where he got his Masters Degree in Math. He taught school in the Hazelwood School District starting at Larimore and retiring from Kirby.

He loved the mountains and on vacation in Colorado Springs one year, he learned of the AdAMan club of Colorado Springs, Co. Dad climbed with them as a guest for a couple of years and in 1957 he was voted in as the new member for that year and became the only member from outside the state. He was proud of his affiliation with that club and had many friends and memories from those climbs. They would (and still do) climb Pikes Peak every New Years Eve(no matter how much snow or ice) and shoot fireworks off the mountain at midnight which can be seen for miles and miles. He also enjoyed rock hunting, and opened a rock shop in Manitou Springs, Colorado called "Rocks of the Rockies". His daughter Judy ran the rock shop while on summer break from college, and he would take the train out there for the weekends.

He had a large library and read all the time, sometimes having 4 or 5 books going at the same time. He was always learning something new and sharing it with anyone who would listen. He instilled the love of books in all of us. He was happy to see that his great grandchildren liked to read and impressed that his great grandson in Colorado was a lover of books at a very early age.

We are so grateful that we were able to take him to Colorado in July to see the mountains and visit with family. He was involved in so much and had been very active in his church. Years ago he and his wife met several times for lunch with some members of the McKinley High School class of 1936 to map out plans for the McKinley Goldbugs Luncheons. This group still meets at the Royale Orleans and their membership continues on.

We will miss him and his stories, he had many stories to tell, and he did, many times. His family tried to get him to write a book of his life but he never got to it.(too busy reading, working with rocks, making mantle clocks, schoolhouse clocks and rock jewelry among other projects) We all have mantle clocks, schoolhouse clocks and beautiful jewelry thanks to him. We will miss him and in closing we want to say , He was the best Husband, Dad, and Grandfather anyone could ever ask for. I can't begin to explain how special and selfless he was, but if you knew him, you'd understand. We love you Dad and know that we will see you again. We want to send our love and prayers to Gene Taylor and his family in Colorado.

SERVICES: Visitation 9:00 a.m. until time of service at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, August 28, 2015 at ALEXANDER-WHITE-MULLEN Funeral Home 11101 St. Charles Rock Rd., St. Ann, MO 63074. Interment Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers if you wish, please support the "Books For Kids" and read a good book in his memory.