Gene Rovane Reviea
Born: June 17th, 1929
Died: January 23rd, 2018
Obituary
Obituary for Gene Rovane Reviea
Gene was born on June 17, 1929 in Tipton, California to Alvie and Dollie (Carroll) Reviea. He was the youngest of five children. His early years were spent on a farm near Pixley with his mother’s close knit family. Several years later, they moved to Morro Bay and joined the “Reviea Clan” who made a living diving abalone. Tragedy struck when Gene’s oldest brother, Floyd, was electrocuted trying to save their father from the same fate. After Floyd’s death, the family moved to Tulare where his… father passed away several years later.
Eventually he and his mother moved to Long Beach. At age fifteen, Gene managed a large skating rink and had the responsibility of making the nightly bank deposit. His junior year of high school he moved to McFarland to live with his sister and brother-in-law, Junie and Glenn Kirkpatrick. A year later, Gene enlisted in the United States Navy. He was first in his interior Communication electrician class and attained the rank of second petty officer. He greatly enjoyed his years in the Navy. After he was discharged, he married Anne Munroe. They moved to McFarland and he started his long career in farming. In the early years, he grew a variety of row crops and planted almond trees in the seventies. Gene married his current wife, Stephanie Phillis Fulmer in 1975. When farming took a down turn in the eighties, he started a custom almond harvesting business. Never one to be idle, he planted a variety of fruit trees in the nineties and successfully ran Reviea’s Country Fresh Fruit. During his final years, he enjoyed working at his fruit stand, visiting his vacation home in Missouri and spending time with his children and grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife Stephanie of 42 years, children David Reviea and daughter Denise Smithey, Step children Kevin and Kimberly Fulmer, Grandchildren Alexis Lara, Morgan Evans and Jordan Fulmer, Great grandchildren, Rylie, Sophia and Sayler.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Salvation Army.