Eugene "Gene" Hasenfus

Eugene "Gene" Hasenfus, a U.S. Marine parachutist and former air cargo specialist, nationally known for his role in the Iran-Contra affair, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones, after a courageous nearly 9-year battle with cancer, at his home in Menominee, MI on November 26, 2025. He was 84 years old.
Gene was born on January 22nd, 1941, in Marinette, Wisconsin to William H. Hasenfus and Beverly (Haines) Hasenfus. Growing up, he was a star football player on his state championship-winning football team. He developed a strong work ethic while working at the Silver Dome, the Marinette resort started and ran by the Hasenfus family. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam and other conflicts, he continued a career in aviation, utilizing his skills as a rigger and cargo master on various classified air transport operations across the globe.
His life took an extraordinary turn in October 1986. While on a supply flight over Nicaragua, the C-123 transport aircraft he was aboard was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Eugene was the sole survivor. His subsequent capture and testimony confirmed U.S. government involvement in supplying Contra rebels, a key element of what became the Iran-Contra scandal.
Following his release from Nicaragua in December 1986, Eugene returned home, seeking a life of quiet normalcy away from the intense media scrutiny. He settled back into his life in Wisconsin, where he focused on his family and career as an ironworker. He carried the weight of his historic experience with quiet dignity and resilience, rarely speaking publicly about the events that defined a major period of the Cold War.
Gene lived the second half of his life loving his roles as a father, grandfather, and family man. A man who loved the quiet serenity of nature and the simplicity of time spent with loved ones. His most cherished times in life were spent camping in the middle of the woods with his family or taking rides on the backroads with his boys. The man that the world saw as a determined patriot who dared to do what others couldn't, spent his final days sitting peacefully with his family, while feeding their three cats entirely too many treats. For a man who didn't care for cats early on in life, he not just warmed up to them, but took great comfort in spoiling them when nobody was looking.
He is survived by his four children, Sarah Herman (Bryan Herman), Eugene Hasenfus Jr. (Abbie Gay), Adam Hasenfus (Joshua Smith), and Taylor Hasenfus (Melinda Hasenfus); by Sally Weber-Hasenfus; by his eight grandchildren, Emma Hasenfus, Michael Hasenfus, Mason Hasenfus, Michaela Kowalski, Christian Miller, Abigail Miller, Alanna Holm, and Adleigh Hasenfus; by his brothers Bill Hasenfus (Donna Marie Hasenfus) and Dennis Hasenfus (Carleen Hasenfus), and by many loved nephews, nieces, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, William H. Hasenfus and Beverly (Haines) Hasenfus; and his sister and brother-in-law, Sandra and Jackie Coppens.
Services will be held on Friday December 5th at Hansen-Onion-Martell Funeral Home in Marinette, WI. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. with the service at 1 p.m. and interment at the Marinette Forest Home Cemetery at 2 p.m., where he will be laid to rest near his beloved mother and sister.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either the Michigan Veterans Homes D.J. Jacobetti in Marquette, MI or the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, Waupaca, WI.
Semper Fi.