Eugene Joseph Siudzinski Jr.

"Hold on to what is good, even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, even if it's a long way from here. Hold on to your life, even if it's easier to let go. Hold on to my hand, even if someday I'll be gone away from you." 

                                    - Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator 1830 - 1890

Eugene Joseph Siudzinski Jr., aka Gene, Geno, a resident of Schertz, TX, passed away surrounded by family at the age of 73 on Saturday morning, September 7, 2024, in San Antonio, TX.

The eldest son of Frances Kokozcka and Eugene Joseph Siudzinski, Eugene Jr. was born in Buffalo, NY, on June 1, 1951. Raised in a traditional Polish neighborhood, he served as an altar boy, attended Catholic school, and played accordion in a band with his four brothers, Michael, David, Robert, and Paul. He told epic stories about visiting the market, plotting his future, and being spoiled by his treasured aunts Bernice, Helen, and Anne. His family relocated to Findlay, Ohio, in the late 1950s when his father's employer (Iroquois Brewery) merged with International Brewing Company/Old Dutch. An avid reader with a vivid imagination and a rebellious streak, Eugene was captivated by the stories of the American West, battles of the Civil War, and stories of adventure and discovery from Egyptian history and Classical mythology to the vast unknown.

He attended Ohio State before serving in the U.S. Army at Fort Sam, S.A, TX, Prescott, AZ, and San Francisco, CA. He left the service, receiving his LVN and, later, his R.N. accreditation, to settle in Austin, TX. After first meeting as fellow nurses at Breckenridge Hospital in 1979, he wed Patricia Margaret McCarthy in 1981. Their daughter, Erin Michelle, was born at that hospital's maternity wing later that year. In 1982, they relocated to Findlay, Ohio. Gene and Trish worked at Blanchard Valley Hospital, where Colleen Jo was born in 1984. Memories of times with his family, strings of cousins running through wood-paneled basements into corn fields, pizza, football games, gardening, raking leaves, missing school buses, stenciling walls, milk-painting furniture, listening to records, and decorating for Halloween with zeal, all mark their time in Ohio. In 1989, they relocated to Schertz, Texas.

Gene faithfully worked for the V.A. Hospital system for over thirty-five years, retiring from Audie Murphy Veterans Hospital, San Antonio, TX, in 2012. For several years, he coached the pee-wee track girls' team at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, where his daughters attended school and tried to put in their best times on the track. He loved most sports and nature. Gene was a lifelong collector, ardent audiophile, and musical enthusiast. He enjoyed building furniture and woodworking, traveling to New Mexico, shopping for industrial antiques and pottery, cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes, learning about art, neat facts, telling jokes, crossword puzzles, and cooking. Neither a car ride nor an evening with Gene was enjoyed without loud music or an adventurous meal.

His children survive him: Jennifer, Erin (Kenneth) Dorn, Colleen (Christopher) King; grandchildren Brooklyn and Juniper King; brothers David (Roxanne), Robert, and Paul (Nancy); and numerous nephews, nieces, and in-laws. He is predeceased by his late wife, Patricia, his parents, his brother, Michael, and his treasured labradoodle, Coco.

In his memory, a prayer service led by his brother-in-law, Monsignor Jeremiah McCarthy, will be held at the chapel at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Selma, TX, on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 2:00 PM.