- Date Of Birth: March 4, 1946
- Date Of Death: February 14, 2022
- State: Colorado
Raleigh Gene MacKinnon passed peacefully in his sleep at home early Monday morning, February 14, 2022, from a very rare and aggressive cancer. On March 4, 1946, in Rifle, Colorado Gene was the younger half of the identical twin set born to Richard and Edna MacKinnon. A couple of months later the MacKinnon family moved back to the Wetmore area. Gene attended the Florence Schools graduating from Florence High School in 1964. At the age of 15, he began working on the John Yellico Ranch farming wheat, corn, and alfalfa and tending the livestock. As a young adult, he began running cattle of his own. 1975 was a transition year for him leaving the farming and ranching way of life he knew from birth. In February he moved his young family into Florence, and he went to work for Ralph Carestia driving semi-trucks. On April 2, 1975, Gene joined the Florence Volunteer Fire Department and on September 8, 1975, he was hired at Ideal Cement where he worked until retiring on February 21, 2013. Growing up in a farming and ranching family he was experienced in the on-the-job training of heavy equipment and large awkward vehicles which served him well as he performed his duties at either the Cement Plant or the Fire Department becoming certified to operate the large equipment. Gene later retired from the Florence Volunteer Fire Department as its Chief of 22 years, an office he held from February 4, 1992, until December 5, 2017, and from the Florence Fire Protection District as its Chief of 22 years also on the same date only to be reinstated as “retired active” until the time of his death.
During the layoff period in 1987 at Ideal Cement, Gene once again drove semi-trucks hauling coal to New Mexico for his friend, Ralph Carestia. He also enjoyed hunting having once placed a cougar in the Boone & Crocket Record Book.
The definition of “Volunteer” in Webster’s Dictionary fit Gene his whole life whether he was helping a fellow farmer or rancher with a project, a neighbor, or in his role as a volunteer fireman. “A volunteer gives of his own free will” and Gene never said no to any person or situation. He would put in his shift at his job and then go to the aid of those in need—any time of the day or night—no matter how tired he was or what plan he might have had for himself. His fellow man came first. Gene never said NO!
On June 14, 1969, Gene married Gayle Palmer in Florence who survives. He is also survived by his son, Clint (Angela) of Edmond, OK; daughter-in-law, Theresa of Chandler, AZ; twin brother, Dean (Jenny) of Rockvale, CO; sister-in-law, Kay MacKinnon of Dodge City, KS; his five grandchildren, Tyler, Megan, and Cameron of Edmond, OK, and Ashley and Danielle of Chandler, AZ; as well as numerous nieces and nephews, close friends–the Paul Villagrana Family and Gary McWilliams, and the Firefighter Community.
He is preceded in death most recently by his son, Travis on October 19, 2021, and also by his parents, Richard and Edna MacKinnon; brothers, Rolland and Dick; his sister, Eunice; and nephews Randy MacKinnon and Scott Ankrum.
