Gene D. Greiner

Eugene Donald Greiner, 74, of Centennial, Colorado, was born April 18, 1941, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Albert A. and Pearl I. (Endress) Greiner. He passed away September 14, 2015, at home in his dream cabin, 10,500 feet above sea level, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Eugene (Gene) is survived by his wife, Jan (Landman) and stepson Matthew Sloka; son and daughter and their families: Michael and Kathryn Greiner, Rachel, Katie and Joshua; Jennifer and Jonathan Downs, Kara, Ava and Hannah; sister Marita Kieffer and her husband Don of Bedford, NH; and sister-in-law Debbie and her husband Richard of Altoona, PA. He is preceded in death by his parents and brothers Leo, Fr. Kenneth, Robert and Albert Greiner.

Gene was raised in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he graduated from Sacred Heart Elementary School in 1955 and Altoona High School in 1959. He earned an Associate's Degree in Engineering from Penn State University in 1962, the same year Gene graduated from the US Coast Guard. After starting a family in Savage, Maryland, he and his wife at that time, Janice (Wolford) Greiner, made an adventurous move west to five acres of prairie near the small town of Elizabeth, Colorado in 1974. Gene was active in the community and with his children, coaching baseball, racing slot cars in the basement, helping the freshman class build their Close Encounters of the Cardinal Kind homecoming float, passing on his love of thunderstorms and pens (!) to Jen, and even handing Mike his high school diploma as president of the Elizabeth school board.

A bit later in life, Gene married Jan (Landman) Greiner and they embraced Colorado's natural beauties through hiking, biking, traveling and cooking spicy southwestern food, which they generously shared with friends and family. Matthew added to his busy schedule with attending and supporting numerous soccer matches, snowboarding and mountain boarding competitions. Gene always enjoyed space and technology, whether traveling the globe with the National Security Agency developing "transverse scan rotary head wideband recorders" (his words!) or as a manager with Hughes Aircraft and later Raytheon, leading teams tasked with the launching of communications satellites into space.

During his career, Gene was recognized with many achievement awards for his work and contributions in the Aerospace industry. The achievement that brought Gene the most reward was the hiring of over 300 young men and women engineers. To this day, Gene's hiring legacy reigns throughout the Hughes-Raytheon Company. Many of these talented engineers have gone on to be successful and hold prominent positions within the company. As Gene's work roles evolved, he moved into the manager arena allowing him to work with many of the engineers he hired. As a manager, Gene believed in leading people versus managing people. This attitude resonated success with many of the programs Gene managed. Gene touched many lives in the Aerospace industry. Gene retired from Hughes-Raytheon after 28 years of service August of 2005.

If we had to choose one word to describe Gene, it would be "ADMIRED." Gene's retirement years brought new and exciting challenges; The building of the cabin in Fairplay, CO and the birth of twin granddaughters with grandpa "G" helping by babysitting. Gene dabbled in the Mortgage business and played a little in the stock market. Gene and Jan built a backyard paradise, to which the kids refer to as "The Resort", where they love to entertain and cook for family and friends. He also appreciated the simpler pleasures of woodworking and tinkering with countless, small inventions around the house.

Memorial Contributions can be made to any of the following:

1) Joyce Meyers Ministries,
800-727-9673
P.O. Box 655
Fenton, MO 63026

2) K-Love Radio Network
800-525-5683
P.O. Box 2098
Omaha, NE 68172-0001

3) Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue, Inc.
303-749-8499
P.O. Box 103130 Denver, CO 80250



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