Eugene "Gene" Klainsek

Eugene Klainsek “Gene”, age 90, passed away on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 with his loving family by his side.

Eugene is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Genevieve (nee Schmidberger); brother-in-law Louis (the late Karen) Schmidberger; sister-in- law Jackie Klainsek; cousin Karen Klainsek; and numerous nieces and nephews also survive.

Preceded in death by his parents; Louis and Jeannette (nee Forbes) Klainsek, and brothers, Billy and Leo Klainsek.

Eugene was a proud veteran of the United States Navy and Army, enlisting in 1942 at the age of 17. He served in World War II, and in the European and Pacific theaters for 26 months. He later went to become an Iron worker for Chicago Local 1.   He was a member of the VFW, Elks, North West Club, and KSKJ. He was an avid Chicago Bears fan and loved a good John Wayne movie. He enjoyed cooking and was a good helping hand. He would love to tease you and pull a good prank. He enjoyed swimming at the Elks with his niece Chrissy. Anytime you saw Gene, you could always count on being called “Smiley”. He will be truly missed by all who knew him.

A celebration of Eugene’s life will begin on Monday, February 13, 2017 with prayers in the funeral home chapel at 9:30 a.m. then driving in procession to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Joliet for a Mass of Christian Burial to be held at 10:00 a.m. Interment to follow at St. Joseph Cemetery in Joliet. Visitation will be on Sunday, February 12, 2017 at Tezak Funeral Home, 1211 Plainfield Road, Joliet from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.