The memorial service for William E. "Gene" Aisenbrey, 83, Aberdeen, will be 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, at Spitzer-Miller Funeral Home, 1111 S. Main St., Aberdeen. Dr. Harold E. Salem officiating. Military honors by Sidney L. Smith American Legion Post No. 24. Inurnment will be at a later date in Riverside Memorial Cemetery, Aberdeen. Gene died Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Bethesda Home of Aberdeen.
Visitation is from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the funeral home.
William Eugene Aisenbrey, son of Calvin and Blanche (Evans) Aisenbrey, was born June 28, 1929, in Huron, S.D. He attended school in Aberdeen and graduated from Aberdeen Central High School with the class of 1947. He was then employed as a typesetter and journalist at the Times Herald in Buffalo, S.D., and later the Northwest Blade in Eureka, S.D. For a short time, he worked for Hayes Brothers Printing in Aberdeen.
In September 1950, Gene enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. After numerous world-wide assignments and an enjoyable career, he left the USAF in 1974. At this time, Gene began his employment with the State of South Dakota in the environmental department as a training director. During his time with the State of South Dakota, he was active in various organizations, including the South Dakota Water and Wastewater Association and the South Dakota Water Pollution Control Association (WPCA) where he served as national director for several years. During his tenure as the national director he represented South Dakota at several WPCA conferences and expositions, including the 1989 San Francisco conference, where he survived the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck that area. He resigned his state position in 1990. He spent the next year as a training contractor for several organizations. In April 1991, he fully retired and spent countless hours writing historical tracts pertinent to Brown County, S.D., and presenting at the Dacotah Prairie Museum.
Gene was past president and on the board of trustees at the Dacotah Prairie Museum in Aberdeen. He was a member of the Aberdeen and Brown County Landmarks Commission for Historic Preservation and a member and officer of various historical and genealogical groups throughout the northern prairie plains. Gene was the founder of the Hamlin Garland Memorial Society of Brown County. He presented a total of 15 papers at the Dakota History Conference since 1987. Two of his papers won awards in the amateur category and, in 1992, he was awarded the conference's "Richard Cropp Award in Military History." Gene has presented papers to various historical societies, and his last presentation was at the Dakota History Conference at Augustana College in May 1999.
Gene enjoyed visiting with his relatives and spent many Sunday afternoons at his niece's home. On occasion, he enjoyed having a cold Diet Dr. Pepper at the VFW and at Roly's.
Grateful for having shared Gene's life are two sisters: Marilyn (LaVerne) Hedblom, Mitchell, S.D., and Annette (Richard) Swanberg, Elkhorn, Neb.; one brother, Leo Bruce Aisenbrey, Winstad, Minn.; and many nieces and nephews.
Gene was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers: Calvin, Robert and Paul Aisenbrey; and one sister, Marjorie Walding; three nephews and two nieces.
In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorials be made to the Dacotah Prairie Museum, 21 South Main St., Aberdeen, SD 57401.
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