Gene R. "Papa" McCain

On February 13, Gene R. McCain "Papa", age 90, went home to be with Jesus, surrounded
by his family.

A celebration of life will be held for Gene on Monday, March 2 nd, at 11 am at Valley Church in West Des Moines, 4343 Fuller Road. The family will greet friends from 10 am until service time. Gene will be inurned at the Iowa Veteran Cemetery near Adel at 2 pm with Marine Military Honors.

Gene was born on July 2, 1935, in Danville, Virginia to John "Rodgers" and Myrtle McCain.

From a young age he was shaped by his faith in the Lord, hard work and devotion to his
family. He proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps, carrying with him a
lifelong sense of honor and service.

On June 25, 1982, Gene married the love of his life, Lee "LW," whom he met singing in their
church choir. Their marriage was rooted in faith, love, and devotion. Together they built a
life filled with joy and family.

Gene was a devoted father to Rodney McCain (Kathy) of Lake Jackson, Texas; Melanie
Norris (Mark) of Largo, Florida; Mark McCain (Bobbi) of Greer, South Carolina; Stan Watters
of Leslie, Arkansas; and Laura Phillips (JR) of West Des Moines, Iowa. He was Papa to
Jeremy, Maria, Marcus, Matthew, Samuel, Aaron, Caleb, Brandon, Cole, Gavin, and Anna
Lee. He was the great grandfather to five great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Lee and his parents, Rodgers and Myrtle McCain. He
is survived by his brothers, Ray McCain (Pat) of Columbus, Georgia and Phillip McCain
(Janice) of Keeling, Virginia.

Gene lived every day to the fullest. He ran marathons, earned his pilot's license, enjoyed
building and flying radio-controlled aircraft, white water rafting, and especially loved riding
his Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Professionally, Gene worked in hotel management and later owned a property
management company with Lee. Even after retirement, he remained active, working at
Menards, driving a bus for St. Anthony's and Des Moines Christian Schools, and serving at
the YMCA in Waukee, Iowa and Greenville, South Carolina.

Though we grieve his absence, we do not grieve without hope. We celebrate a life well lived
and a servant welcomed home with the words, "well done, good and faithful servant."
(Matthew 25:21)

The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of love shown
during this time. Thank you for the prayers, meals, calls, visits, cards, and every act of
kindness. Your support has been a true blessing and a reflection of Christ's love
surrounding our family. We are deeply grateful to each of you who have walked alongside
us during this season. We love you!

Memorials may be directed to Veterans Hospice in Des Moines or the Giving | YMCA of Greenville.