St. Louis Park, MN - Eugene (Gene) Carroll Halverson died on March 1st, 2026 at home, surrounded by his family.

Gene was born in Austin, MN on January 25th, 1939. He was the 4th of 10 children and as such, was good at taking orders and giving them. But mostly, the latter. He attended Catholic school through the 12th grade, graduating from Pacelli High School in 1958. True to his dubious nature, he chose (doubting) Thomas for his confirmation name and led a few religious leaders to question their choice of vocation. It was at Pacelli that he met his favorite teacher and coach, Marty Crowe, who not only helped Gene develop a lethal jumpshot, but also set him up with his future wife, Kathleen (Kay) Keenan.

Before settling down with Kay and moving to Minneapolis, Gene spent many of his younger years working with his dad, Jim, in the family's auto shop. He often recalled both funny and formative stories which resulted from time spent working with his dad. His mom, Billie, ran the inside of the home and provided equal opportunities for Gene and the siblings to build their character.

Gene was drafted by the Army in 1962 where he was a Military Policeman. He left the Army after 2 years and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1967. He was a life-long social worker for Hennepin County, in both the Child and Adult Protection agencies. Gene was known for his advocacy skills and his ability to connect with a variety of people whose backgrounds differed from his own. His success in work and personally were a result of his genuine curiosity and desire to see everyone get a piece of the pie.

Each of the skills he acquired while working as a mechanic and social worker and those he built from being close to his family were put to use later when he began his married life to Kay in 1966. 'She brought me to the dance' was a phrase Gene used to describe his 59 year courtship with Kay. Their first dates consisted of an evening at the Opera in Minneapolis and seats at a wrestling match in Austin. He took up an interest in photography and documented their various travel adventures on slides (which no one has ever seen but according to his children- were very fun). He was a fantastic cook and enjoyed the process of cooking as much as the product. The only memorable arguments between him and Kay were over the amount of cooking magazine subscriptions he had.

And then came the grandchildren. Gene lived in the moment before it was trendy to do so and being a grandpa was the perfect way to embrace that pace. Beyond attending every single game and concert, his voice lives on through memories and messages left telling them to step outside to appreciate the moon or sunrise. The joy he experienced by caring for and loving them was what gave his life the most meaning.

Eugene was preceded in death by his parents, James and Hildegarde Halverson; his wife, Kathleen, brother, Robert Halverson (surviving partner, Mary Goers); sister-in-law, Diane Keenan; brothers-in-law, Bud Wirth, Billy Keenan, A.B. Johnson, and Duane Coffman. He is survived by his two daughters, Kate (Matt) O'Connell, and Molly Christensen; his adored grandchildren, William, Daniel, Norah, Stella, Rose, and Luke; his siblings, Marlene Wirth, Jacqueline Halverson, Judith Johnson, Bonita (Ken) Freimark, Raymond Halverson (Mary Vork), Wesley (Jean) Halverson, Rowland (Becky) Halverson, Douglas Halverson, brothers-in-law, Jack Keenan, Jerry (Mary) Keenan, sister-in-law Darlene Coffman and many nieces and nephews.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 am on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Austin, MN. Visitation will be held for one hour before the mass at the church. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery with military rites by American Legion Post #91 and Olaf B. Damm Post #1216.