John Eugene Ehlers 1936 - 2021

John (Eugene) Ehlers of McMinnville, Oregon, passed away February 8, 2021. Eugene was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, to Otto Herman Henry Ehlers and Ida Viola Ehlers, and was the oldest of three brothers, Abe E. Ehlers and Eldon R. Ehlers.

In the early '40s, he moved with his family to Amity, Oregon, where he attended high school and lettered in baseball, basketball and football. After high school, he attended Linfield College and served in the Navy. In 1960, he married Carol F. Clyde and was the father of four girls, Tracey, Teresa, Kimberly and Brenda Ehlers.

Eugene moved his family to Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a facilities manager. A family vacation turned into a desire to build his own home on Lake Coeur d’Alene, which he enjoyed for many years taking his family boating.

The family returned to Oregon where Eugene worked at the tech firm Floating Point Systems and built his second home in Yamhill, Oregon, with the help of his father. He later started and operated his own Farmers Insurance office. After divorcing in the mid-eighties, Eugene married and is survived by Diane Ehlers. In his older years, he enjoyed working in his yard with his wife, traveling to visit family and was a faithful member of his church. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there may be a service at another time.