His father died from Alzheimer's in the 70's before it was well understood. Gene would often say that he hoped and prayed that he would never get Alzheimer's like his dad did.

In his late 70's he bought a '55 Ford pick up to restore. He tore it all apart over the period of a few months, about that time is when my sister and the family began to notice his memory and behavior starting to change. He quit wanting to work on the truck. Within about 6-7 months he couldn't even use a wrench.

He'd been working on cars since he was a teenager. My sister and his family finally had to find a care center for him to move into. He reached the point where he only recognized 1 of his sons who went to visit him at least 3-4 days a week.

He was such a good B-I-L to me, a great father and uncle to our kids. One of the saddest experiences of my life.