Eugene Scheff

Beloved Eugene Charles Scheff, born in Detroit on the twenty-second of October, 1933, died peacefully in his sleep the afternoon of June 27, 2023, after an incredible journey lasting 89 years. His last days were spent surrounded by his family, all of whom felt some measure of relief knowing that Gene was now reunited with his late wife, Loretta Joyce Scheff, a marriage that spanned over six decades. Gene leaves behind two sons, Gary (Ann) and Bob (Anne Marie); and a daughter, Sue Hopper (Tom); along with seven grandkids (Katie, Kristin, Frank, Darby, Abby, Ben and Maggie). He was preceded in death by his older brother Donald who passed away in 2012. Gene, son to John Scheff, Jr. and Anna (Omela) Scheff, grew up in Detroit, graduating from Pershing High School in 1951. After short stints at Lawrence Tech and MSU Oakland, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve during the Korean War and found himself at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago. Part of his training there taught him the skills of a draftsman while learning to design kitchen layouts for ships. Gene was assigned to the USS Bristol (DD-857) and sent by train to Rhode Island to begin his service. It brought him great joy to tell the story of how that was his first time aboard a ship, thus when it set sail for Western Europe, he along with most of the other young seaman found themselves “feeding fish” off of the destroyer’s deck until they earned their sealegs. His time in the Navy took him to England, Ireland and Scotland, then back across the Atlantic to the Florida Keys before heading to Guatemala. After fulfilling his duties, Gene returned to his hometown and his Polish roots, taking an engineering job in the Majestic Building in downtown Detroit. For fun, he and his buddies would look forward to Friday and Saturday night dances in Hamtramck in hopes of meeting “the girls.” One of those nights found him at the Polish Century Club at the same time as a young lady named Joyce and they sure seemed to hit it off. They soon married and would start a family, but not before enjoying time together as a young couple. They would go to the movies together at the old RKO Uptown Theatre, or watch the Lions play at Briggs, or the Red Wings take the ice at Olympia. A particularly fond memory for Gene was recalling the train trip he and Joyce made to Chicago to watch the champion Lions play against the college football all-stars at Soldier Field. As fate would have it, the Lions lost to the college team and that game format was forever ended. Gene remained passionate about sports while pouring himself into his career as a mechanical engineer, determined to provide for his family a more comfortable lifestyle than he was afforded while growing up during the Depression. Leaning on the training he received in the Navy, Gene would do his early work on drafting tables using slide rules and pencils for calculations. He would adapt with the times as the world turned to calculators and then computers, and did work on some impressive projects including the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, the Harvard Engineering Building and even the World Trade Center. During this time he was also the owner of the Detroit Junior Red Wings before selling the franchise back to the parent club. He enjoyed fishing, whether taking fly fishing trips to Alaska in search of big salmon or casting for bass at the D-Bar-A Boy Scout camp in Metamora. In later years he would become a football season ticket holder for the Spartans, the university he grew to love after watching all three of his children graduate on the banks of the Red Cedar. Gene and Joyce loved their children and grandchildren, impressing upon all of them the importance of family, of education and of work ethic. In fact, Gene would “retire” from his career at Michigan Air Products in Troy only to begin working with his son, Bob, at ThermalNetics, where he continued into his early 80s! It was a great point of pride to each of them that not only did Gary, Bob and Sue (and their spouses!) graduate from college, but all seven grandchildren would also follow in their footsteps at various universities. He was happiest when we were all together at a Scheffest, watching the Spartans win or the Lions lose. And no gathering was complete until the family fought over Gene’s fresh cooked pierogies and the kielbasa was eaten with the zippiest horseradish available. Gene was revered by his grandkids, all of whom cherished spending time with the “GOAT.” Gene and Joyce are together again and will forever be missed. In lieu of flowers, donations in Gene’s name will be used towards the purchase of a commemorative tree to be planted on the campus of Michigan State University just a few steps from the memorial tree he and the family planted for Joyce. Please visit the link for the donation :: https://givingto.msu.edu/crowdpower/gene-scheff?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=share_button&utm_campaign=website_share

Eugene Scheff

October 22, 1933 - June 27, 2023