Eugene "Gene" F. Belisle

Eugene (Gene) Franklin Belisle, 81,  Bismarck, ND, entered heaven on October 15, 2018. Funeral services will be held  at 11:00 am Thursday, October 18 at Lutheran Church of the Cross, 1004 E Highland Acres Rd., Bismarck. Visitation will be held Wednesday, October 17, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a prayer service will begin at 7:00 pm. Gene was born January 30, 1937, to Rudolph and Clysta Belisle in Plentywood, MT. Gene was the youngest of 8 children. Gene went to school in Medicine Lake, MT. After high school, Gene and some friends were walking down the street and one said “Let’s join the Navy” and off to the Navy they went. He was stationed aboard the USS Bennington. His position was to qualify pilots for carrier landings. He said it was the biggest thrill of his life. Gene was stationed at Midway for 8 months, 27 days and 4 hours. Per Gene’s exact words “In 1958 he ran into a beautiful girl and she made him marry her”. Gene and Donna were married June 1, 1958. They have 4 children, 15 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren. After they were married, Gene and Donna lived in Honolulu, HI, while Gene served in the Navy. After the Navy, they lived in Billings, MT, for 14 years. Gene interviewed for a position at a power plant in ND. He had never stepped into a plant before and had no idea what to expect. He was offered the position and he and the family moved to Riverdale, ND, in 1974. In 2005, Gene and Donna retired to Bismarck, ND. Gene loved boating, fishing and golfing. He was always up for coffee, a game of cards, jokes and laughter. Gene is survived by his wife, Donna; children, Darrell (Denise) Belisle, Nadine (Mike) Boe, Darren (Marla) Belisle, and Danae (Steve) Helle; grandchildren, Danielle, Dillon, Devon, Sarah, Josh, Emily, Rory, Cory, Colton, Wyatt, Ryan, Reed, Michael, Madison and Regan. Great-grandchildren, Rowen, Renner, Tristan, Beckett, Keaton, Porter, Abram, Lennon, and Kristin. Gene was preceded in death by his parents and 7 siblings. In lieu of flowers the family is asking for a donation, in Gene’s name, to the American Diabetes Association.