The Liberty Tribune Clay Co, MO 23 Oct 2014 Earl Eugene "Gene" Lineberry Tuesday, October 21, 2014 9:04 am A celebration of Life for Earl Eugene "Gene" Lineberry, 84 of Holt, will be 3:00pm on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 in the Hidden Valley Funeral Home Chapel of Kearney. A visitation will be held an hour before. Hidden Valley Funeral Home - Kearney 925 E State Route 92 Kearney, MO 64060 Earl "Gene" E Lineberry February 25, 1930 - October 19, 2014 U.S. Veteran Service Date: October 22, 2014 Funeral Home Hidden Valley Funeral Home - Kearney Visitation from 2-3pm Nobody could make a rainy day a cause for celebration like Earl Eugene "Gene" Lineberry, whose stories and spirit will forever thrive among those lucky enough to know him and blessed enough to call him a friend. Gene passed peacefully, surrounded by the love of family and friends, on October 19, 2014 in Holt, MO, at the age of 84. Gene was born on February 25, 1930 in Mattoon, IL. But it's fair to say that his life really began in 1945, when he met Clara Eaves, who became his partner in marriage and adventure on October 15, 1949. After graduating from East St. Louis Senior High School in 1948, Gene entered the Armed Services, where he served in the Air Force during the Korean War and taught radio communications at Scott Air Base in Belleville, IL. He worked for AT&T for 34 years, where he served in the Strategic Air Command. His career with AT&T took him to St. Louis, MO, Omaha, NE, and to Taiwan, where he lived for three years before his return to the states, where he settled (and retired) in the Kansas City Area. Although impressive, those accomplishments pale in comparison to his amazing ability to weave magic into the mundane: he could quiet a room with a single story, make a rainstorm into prize-winning theatre, and make a simple homemade donut on a snowy day seem like dinner at a five-star restaurant. Above all, though, he'll forever be remembered and cherished for his razor-sharp sense of humor and his unfailing faith in the people he loved. Along with his wife of 65 years, Gene is survived by daughter Debe Grantham, son Russell Lineberry (Joni), daughter Barbara Johnson (Scott), ten grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, and many others who were not related by blood, but who loved him as family nonetheless – because that's the kind of guy he was: to know him was to love him, and to forever change your opinion about the rain. There will be a celebration of Gene's life on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 3:00pm at the Hidden Valley Funeral Home Chapel in Kearney. Visitation will be held an hour prior to the celebration. All are welcome to attend.