Gene Albert Pease Jr.

1950 - 2023

Gene Albert Pease, Jr.

August 28, 1950 - September 10, 2023

When Gene Albert Pease Jr. walked into a room, everything got more interesting. He embraced the world with vision, compassion and lots of laughter. From pitching ventures as an entrepreneur to serving as a council member for the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to celebrating loved ones at epic family gatherings, Gene was a leader and a true friend.

Born to loving parents Deanne "Nini" and Gene Pease Sr. in Toledo, Ohio, in 1950, Gene grew up playing competitive tennis and hanging out in the art department of his dad's direct-mail company. Gene studied architecture at the University of Cincinnati. After graduating in 1974, he and his college sweetheart, Pam, a design major, moved to Los Angeles and married in 1975.

Gene earned an MBA from the University of Southern California's entrepreneurship program and became a young CEO for licensed sportswear companies in Manhattan Beach, California; Buffalo, New York; and Chapel Hill. Gene later founded two human resources analytics companies and wrote three books on human capital analytics, published by Wiley.

From rollerblading with his two daughters to coaching their soccer teams, Gene loved to combine family and fun. He played roller hockey with the Chapel Hill "Chuckers" and was an avid road cyclist. Gene died at 73 with family by his side at home in Marina del Rey, California. He is preceded in death by his parents, Deanne and Gene Pease Sr. He is survived by his wife, Pam; his sister, Dr. Susan Instone, and her husband, Don; brother Jeff and his partner, Mary Ann Milne; brother Scott; daughter Tiffany Grandstaff, her husband, Chris, and their two children, Charlotte and Jack; daughter Heather Pease and her husband, Nick Lamb; and Gene and Pam's beloved dog, Bailey.