Gene “Corky” Ronald Stopsen of Montesano, Washington, was born July 19, 1946, in Aberdeen, Washington and passed on October 8, 2021. His passing was sudden, following a brief illness. Gene was born in Aberdeen, Washington, the 6th of 7 children born to Finnish immigrants Rudolf Richard Stopsen and Yerda Marie Johnson. One of the greatest joys of Gene’s life was music. He played drums and guitar. He was in several bands throughout his life; Iron Rail, Ambush; De Soto Rose, and Black Water, to name a few. It is with music that he is most often remembered by those who knew him as a young adult. He played drums and guitar. Gene graduated from Weatherwax High School in 1964. After graduation he went on to get a Drafting Degree and his specialization in Auto Body restoration. He worked in many auto shops around Grays Harbor and Olympia and eventually went into business for himself. He and his wife ran Gene’s Auto Body for many years. His work was conscientious and thorough. He used his skills to redeem many cars and trucks and if your car was ever on the receiving end of his skill set, you could see he knew how to treat them. Gene served in the United States Navy where he was a Marine Mechanic E-4, responsible for providing fresh water for his ship during the Vietnam War. The bulk of his tour was served aboard the USS MacKenzie and USS Piedmont. He was aboard the USS MacKenzie when fire broke out on the USS Forrestal. He was part of the rescue crew during the worst US carrier fire since WW2, a fire that left 134 men dead. The MacKenzie escorted the damaged Forrestal to port in Subic Bay for repair. Gene married Jessie Ann Carlson in March of 1974. They were married for 47 years. He was most proud of his family. He always puffed up his chest just a little when the grandkids called him Papa. He attended countless high school football games, dance recitals, music recitals, drill team competitions, softball and baseball games, basketball games, awards ceremonies, camp performances, and Christmas plays, Easter plays, graduations, and births. Anything that one of his kids or grandkids was involved in, he was sure to be there, cheering them on, even if it had to be by video. Gene’s daily pleasures were simple things. The Price is Right game show in the morning. Wheel of Fortune in the evening. Good coffee. Apple pie. Applesauce. Apple crisp. Anything apple, really. And fast cars. Gene also loved to build. He’d find any excuse to build another building, shed, or lean-to at his home. In the end, there were a total of 9 additional buildings on his homestead beside his home. Each one was handmade and built to stand the test of time. While Gene could carry his end of any conversation, he was never much of one to share his feelings. Instead, we learned his love less by his words and more by his actions. So, thank you, Dad, for the porch you built us. Thank you for the floors you put in. Thank you for the wedding songs you played. Thank you for dancing with us at our weddings .Thank you for teaching us how to work on our cars. Thank you for cannibalizing your old Willey’s for our first Jeep rebuild. Thank you for the mulch you hauled for our gardens, the fence posts you pounded, the sewer and electrical lines you ran, the toilets you unclogged, the gravel you spread. Thank you for rescuing us off the tops of mountains and out of the bottoms of ravines in the middle of the night. Thank you for loving our mom and us so well. You’ll always be in our hearts, Dad, because there you are still alive. He is survived by his wife, Jessie, his two sons, Ron (Miryah) Stopsen and James (Brenda) Stopsen, his sister, Jane Lauzon, and two brothers, Robert (Darlene) Stopsen and John Stopsen. He also leaves 7 grandchildren and a myriad of nieces and nephews and other family graft-ins, all of whom felt they were his “favorite”. He is preceded in death by three siblings, Richard Rudolf Stopsen, Denny Wakefield Stopsen, and (baby Stopsen). The family invites all who knew Gene to join in a celebration service in remembrance of him at Grays Harbor Foursquare Church in Aberdeen, Washington at 2:00pm on Sunday, November 7, 2021. There will be his favorite things there: apple pie, coffee, and good memories. There is a private, graveside service for the immediate family on Friday, November 5, 2021 at Fern Hill Cemetery where he will be laid to rest next to his parents. Arrangements are made by Harrison Family Mortuary. Donations can be sent to the Wounded Warrior Project or our local Montesano AMVETS POST # 1926 – 315 S Main Street, Montesano Wash. 98563 Let us remember the Hebrew proverb, “Say not in grief ‘he is no more’ but in thankfulness that he was.” ”