Gene Dewey

Gene Lawrence Dewey, age 84

Obituary

MADISON – Gene Lawrence Dewey of Madison, WI passed away at Agrace Hospice on April 21, 2023.  He was born on July 19, 1938 in Malone, NY to Karl and Laura Dewey. In 1960, Gene married his college sweetheart Beatrice Frisby, who preceded his death in 2021. He is also predeceased by his daughter Rev. Elizabeth and his brother Kermit. He is survived by his daughter Janet (Jeffrey) of Kanata, Ontario, Canada; his son David (Laura) of Fitchburg, WI, and grandchildren Sarah of New York, NY and John of Milwaukee, WI.

Gene graduated from the State University of NY (SUNY) at Geneseo in Library Science, and received a master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He started his career as a Junior Librarian at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, and was later appointed Head of Acquisitions at SUNY Buffalo. Gene then became Head of Acquisitions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, until his retirement in 1996. Always active, he held various board and committee positions for many community organizations. Gene received the Librarian of the Year Award for 1991 by the University of Wisconsin and received a Governor’s Special Award in 1996 for 27 years of dedicated service to the State of Wisconsin.

An avid gardener, Gene always enhanced the curb appeal of his home by planting an abundance of flowers, with an emphasis on daylilies. We like to think he had the Best Looking Garden on Fox Avenue. He was an active member of the Wisconsin Daylily Society and the American Hemerocallis Society, involved with daylily sales, membership rosters and conferences. Gene was especially proud of the hybridized daylilies Beth Dewey and Fox Avenue Favorite, which were first on his list to move to his garden at Oakwood. He loved his church family at First Baptist Church, where he shared his gardening talents caring for the flowers. Other favorite activities were camping, concerts, hosting international visitors, and traveling.

Special thanks to Oakwood Village - University Woods and Agrace Hospice for their care.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: First Baptist Church, fbcoffice@firstbaptistmadison.org or Wisconsin Daylily Society, https://www.wisconsindaylilysociety.org/

A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church on Thursday, April 27 at 11:00 am at 518 N. Franklin Ave. Madison, WI 53705

Livestream: http://live.firstbaptistmadison.org

May he rest alongside Bea in a peaceful flower garden.