Eugene “Gene” Skriver

Eugene “Gene” Skriver

Riverside

Eugene “Gene” Skriver, 69, of Riverside, Iowa, passed away peacefully Aug. 25, 2022, at Crestview Specialty Care in West Branch where he was surrounded by his loving family.

Gene was born in Iowa City to Howard and Marjorie Skriver. He was dedicated to working on the family farm, near West Branch, growing corn, soybeans and raising Black Angus cattle. Gene married Anita Gartzke on July 15, 1983, and had children: Lisa in 1984 and Ryan in 1990.

Gene worked with his mother, Marjorie, at her business “The Budget Shop” and opened his own consignment store with Anita in Evansdale, Iowa called “The Wearhouse.” He also became a property owner, purchasing several houses and an apartment complex in Iowa City and Hills, Iowa, of which he did all the property management, rentals and maintenance himself.

Gene was adept at fixing anything that was broken, from tractors, cars, to home repairs. He loved anything with an engine and enjoyed trains, airplanes, vehicles, antiques and learning about history, particularly World War II. Gene was a quiet and simple man but had a dry and irreverent sense of humor that his family and friends will miss, and a wide range of interests. He jokingly called himself a “jack of all trades, master of none.”

Gene was extremely proud of his family and despite the rigorous demands of farming life, never missed his son’s high school sporting events or his daughter’s theater performances.

Gene was a lifelong Type 1 insulin dependent diabetic, and in 2007 received a kidney transplant by luck after only being on the donor list for three weeks. This opportunity gave Gene a second chance to live a full and longer, richer quality life and experience his children’s college graduations, spend more time with Anita, enjoy Ryan and his wife Tanya’s wedding in 2018 and experience the birth of and enjoy time with his granddaughter, Emma.

Gene would light up when visiting Emma, and even though they only had a brief time together they were able to create special memories. Gene was very fond of the animals in his life, and always had a loyal dog by his side. For 17 years he had his faithful German Shepherd/Lab mix, Nikki out on the farm, his loyal Terrier/Japanese Chin mix, Xena, and his Shih Tzu, Chumley, who slept every day at his feet for the past 12 years and was with him at the end of his life.

Gene is survived by his wife, Anita; his daughter, Lisa Skriver; son Ryan Skriver, (Tanya); granddaughter, Emma; his brother, Randy Skriver: niece Sylvia; his uncle, Bruce Gardner (Paula Griffin) and uncle, Keith Skriver. He was preceded in death by his parents, Howard and Marjorie Skriver; his brother, Jerry Skriver; and his great-grandmother, Edna Gardner.

To celebrate Gene’s life, a remembrance service will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday Aug. 28, 2022, at Lensing’s Oak Hill, 210 Holiday Road, Coralville, Iowa, followed by a gathering for friends and family until 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Iowa Donor Network.