Eugene J. Cech

August 9, 1930-March 5, 2016

Eugene J. Cech of Green Valley, Arizona passed away peacefully at home on March 5, 2016. Eugene was born in Cleveland, Ohio, August 9, 1930, the youngest of five siblings. Eugene's parents were Franklin and Mary Kupec Cech. He grew up in Cleveland and attended Cleveland Technical High School where his father taught patternmaking. After high school he worked briefly with the US Forest Service as a lookout on Mount Lolo, Montana.

He began attending the Illinois Institute of Technology but the Korean conflict intervened. He joined the US Marine Corps, trained at Camp Pendleton and did electronic training at Great Lakes Naval Station Illinois and in San Diego before shipping to Korea as a radar technician.

While at Great Lakes, he met and married Lois M. Hill, a nursing student at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago. While in Korea his first son, Barrington, was born. Following his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, he returned to California and pursued his undergraduate education at the University of California Riverside. In California, his second son James, and third son, William, were born.

Deciding to pursue a career in education the family moved to Seattle, Washington, where his first daughter, Katherine, was born. He began teaching at Puyallup High School, and a second daughter, Elizabeth, was born. He then decided to pursue a higher degree at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.

Following completion of his doctoral degree in psychology he was hired by the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, where he remained for nearly 30 years. As a full professor, he taught various psychology courses and was the director of testing for the university, an innovator in standardized testing procedures and self paced learning.

In 1971 Eugene married Sharon A. McClellend. The couple brought two additional children, Shelly and David, into the family. Sharon died in 1988.

Always open to adventure Eugene retired from the University but accepted an exchange professorship at the University of Shah Alam in Malaysia in 1993. Though officially retired he continued to teach occasional courses in his areas of interest. He was a professor emeritus.

Later in life, Eugene had become a Harley Davidson enthusiast. He traversed Wisconsin on his Super Glide. His ultimate ride was an Oshkosh to California and back.

He was an active volunteer at the EAA museum where he met his third wife, Kay Kennard, a UCC minister in the Oshkosh area. With this marriage, in 1992, his family grew as four more children were added, for a total of eleven.

In 2005 he began to winter in Green Valley, Arizona, with Kay, although for several years they returned to Wisconsin for summers. They finally permanently relocated to Arizona in 2011. In Green Valley he attended the Good Shepherd UCC Church and St. Francis Episcopal Church.

Eugene is survived by his sister, Dorothy Hofferber, his wife, Kay Kennard, his children, seventeen grand children and nine great grand children.

Children:
Barrington Daltrey (Linda)
James Cech (Abigail Ryan)
William Cech (Laura)
Katherine Latonio (Robert)
Elizabeth Haynes (Ian)
David Cech
Shelly Luedke (Carl)
David Kennard (Margaret Hutchins)
Peggy Poulin
Richard Kennard (Sandy)
Craig Kennard (Nonie)

A Service of Uniqueness will be held at the Good Shepherd UCC on April 3, 2016 at 3 PM, followed by a Celebration at La Perla, La Posada at 5 PM.