Eugene “Gene” Everett Echols III

Eugene “Gene” Everett Echols II, 70, passed away Tuesday, May 10th.

Eugene was born in Princess Anne County, Norfolk, VA, November 26, 1951, to the late Eugene Everett Echols and Henrietta Roberts Echols.

Gene graduated from Lake Taylor High School and received his Bachelors of Art in Speech from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. He worked in management and sales/marketing and held positions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Army. In 2020 he retired as a specialty food rep. He was an active member of Saltillo First United Methodist Church, the Walter Burns Sunday School class, and served as a certified Lay Speaker. Gene was a charter member of North Lee Civitan since 2008 serving as the first president and held all offices during his 13 years of service.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years Susan L. Echols; his two stepdaughters Michelle L. Lee (John) of Limestone, TN, and Pamela L. Cook (Scottie) of Hernando, MS; 2 grandchildren Makenzie and Conner; sister Sarah Echols Aho of Virginia Beach, VA; his nephew Michael C. Aho (Joe) of Geneva, Switzerland and adopted granddaughter Vyusti Sandeep Yadav of Starkville, MS.

A Memorial Service will be held at Saltillo First United Methodist Church on Saturday, May 14th at 4pm with visitation at 3pm. In lieu of flowers and food, charitable contributions can be made to the Saltillo First United Methodist Walter Burns Memorial ‘Go Forth’ Scholarship, P.O. Box 146, Saltillo, MS 38866 or the charity of your choice.