Eugene Howard Naron, 90, passed away peacefully at his home in Overland Park, Kansas, on Oct. 1, 2022, after a long and full life.
Gene (or as his sons called him, “Geno”) was born in 1932 to Jerome and Gertrude Naron in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From a young age, he was a gifted vocalist and traveled the country as a member of the Apollo Boys Choir.
After graduating from Tulsa Central High School in the “Nifty Class of ’50,” he attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. He joined the Marine Corps and was a featured singer with the Marine Corps Band, including on national radio broadcasts.
He moved to Kansas City and married Marsha Zeff in 1964. They had two children, Gregory and Stephen.
He worked at Sealy Mattress Company of Kansas City as a vice president and plant manager, and later in life, he worked at La-Z-Boy Furniture, Swanson Midgley law firm, and Shawnee Mission Medical Center. What he enjoyed most about those jobs was talking with people, and he took something positive away from each experience.
Gene continued to sing throughout his life, to the enjoyment of many. He was a part-time cantor at Temple Beth-El, and then Congregation Ohev Sholom. He was honored to have been chosen to chant the High Holiday services on several occasions. He was a member of Congregation Ohev Sholom for 43 years, and was also a member of B’nai B’rith and Jewish War Veterans.
In addition to singing, Gene enjoyed photography, bird watching, building model airplanes, eating cake, and traveling the world with Marsha. He instilled in his sons a love of art and music and a fear of doing basic home repairs. He was a terrible driver.
Gene is survived by his wife Marsha; children Gregory (Marilyn) and Stephen (Moa); granddaughters Josie, Alma and Ida; and sister Toby. He was preceded in death by his parents. The family is grateful to Gene’s caregivers, Denise, Shirley, and Caroline, for the wonderful care that they provided to Gene in his last months.
A graveside service was held on Oct. 4, 2022, at Mount Carmel Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Jewish War Veterans, www.jwv.org/give/donate/.
