The Herald Democrat
December 11, 2012

BELLS - Funeral services for Gene Washburn were held Thursday morning, December 13, 2012 at Waldo Funeral Home. Rev. Billy Neal Jr. officiated. Gene was buried at the Washburn Cemetery alongside his wife and son including many generations of Washburns.
Gene was born on December. 11, 1926 to Joe and Aldine Washburn on the family home in Grayson County near Ida. He finished 7th grade at Ida and graduated from Bells High School in 1944.
Gene lived on the family farm until his marriage to Patsy Stephenson on July 25, 1952. He and Patsy later built a home on the old homestead granted to the family in 1836 outside of Bells. They were married 54 years and of this marriage was
born Cynthia Lynn Washburn and Timothy Wayne (Cowboy) Washburn. Gene lost his wife of 54 years after a long illness
in 2006 and he lost his son Cowboy to cancer in 2010.
Gene was a farmer and rancher his whole life, also doing custom welding, combining, hay baling, and mechanic work in
his farm shop. He was a carpenter, building more than 1,000 houses and many doctor offices during his lifetime. He was also in trucking business, hauling cattle and grain for long and short distances most of his life, he was also a regular dealer at Canton Flea Market for 33 years. His hobby and love was auction sales and flea markets.
Gene was very proud of his family heritage and was honored by the state of Texas along with Chris Jones and Ray Houston on March 16, 2001 in Austin for continuous ownership and operation as a family of an agricultural enterprise for more than 150 years.
Gene was known for continuing on and not letting any injuries stop him. He lost a finger at the age of 5 while doing farm work while planting seed in the field. He also survived being bitten by a rattlesnake in 1949. Gene worked his entire life until a major stroke in 2004. The stroke slowed him down but did not stop him. Gene was always very inventive in figuring out how to do things although confined to a wheelchair.
Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Aldine; two brothers, Shirley and Lewis Washburn; his wife Patsy Lois Washburn; and his son Timothy Wayne (Cowboy) Washburn. Gene outlived all his aunts, uncles and cousins.
He is survived by one daughter Cynthia Lynn Washburn Moody; two grandchildren, Christopher Paul Jones and Amy Christine Moody Johnson and her husband David Shane; four great-grandchildren, Jaxson Jones, Jagur Jones, William Johnson and Cambria Johnson. He loved his great grandchildren with great affection.