Elmer Eugene "Gene" Wears was born in Lancaster, Ohio on November 5th, 1955 to parents Elmer Wears and Lois Wears. He spent his childhood playing baseball with his brother Tom (Cathy) Wears, and annoying his sisters, Phyllis Solt, Kathy (Kurt) Keplar, Betty (Art) Powers, Evelyn (John) Fyffe, Beverly (Hank) Martin, Cheryl (Richard) Blosser, Tammy (Wade) Head and Jackie (Michael) Headley. He was the middle child of their big, rambunctious, but always loving family.

In October 1976, he joined the US Air Force. He attended basic training in Texas, then was stationed in Colorado, and then his favorite station in Alaska. It was here he met his wife, Nancy, whom he married in February of 1979. They spent their winters gazing at the northern lights and digging their cars out of the snow. They then were stationed in Washington, DC, where he worked in Civil Engineering. It was here that he received the Meritorious Service Medal, handpicked by President Reagan for his work on the DIA building. At the time, he was the lowest ranked member to ever receive this commendation, which is the highest award a servicemember can receive without being injured in battle.

In 1984, they were stationed at Ramstein Air Force base. During a blizzard on February 12th, 1985, their only child, Jennifer (Ronny) Kurkowski, was born. Together the family moved back to the states in 1987 to Rantoul, Illinois to Chanute Air Force base, where they stayed until 1992. Gene proudly served during Operation Desert Storm during the first Gulf War. Gene's last duty station was in Montgomery, Alabama, where he retired in December of 1994. After Gene retired, the family moved to Ohio to be closer to Gene's family, most of whom lived near Lancaster.

Gene loved coaching youth sports. During his time in Alaska, he coached baseball, basketball and football. When he got to Illinois, he turned his focus to coaching the 10, 11 and 12 year old football team. He made many friends through coaching the Rantoul Falcon football team, and he made it a family affair. Nancy served as the treasurer of the organization, and Jennifer spent her time on the sidelines cheerleading.

On August 16, 2009, Jennifer married her longtime boyfriend, Ronny Kurkowski, Jr. On August 24th, 2010, Gene's first granddaughter, Emma, was born. On November 1st, 2013, Ella was born. Gene adored his granddaughters and loved spending time with them. He and Ella would talk about math and TV shows and video games. Gene loved going to Granville High School football games to watch Emma and the rest of the Marching Blue Aces perform at pre-game, halftime, and post-game.

After Gene retired from CenturyLink, he enjoyed the slower pace of retirement. After he and Nancy moved to Granville to be closer to Jennifer, Ronny, Emma and Ella, he was able to enjoy the slower pace of country living. He had a monthly breakfast with his friend, Mark. He loved to garden, especially his tomatoes, and he would spend hours smoking meat. His specialty was his smoked chicken, which everyone ranted and raved about.  On Sundays, you would always find him in front of the TV, cheering on the Cincinnati Bengals.  He liked to sit on the back deck in the mornings and have his coffee while the world slept and watch the deer and other wildlife stroll through the property.

Gene battled cancer for 4 long years. He is now resting peacefully, reunited with his father, mother, sister Phyllis and brother, Clarence (Kathy). He lived a full life, surrounded in love with his wife, daughter, granddaughters, son-in-law, brother, sisters, many nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.