Dr Eugene Chenette

N5YJ
It is with heavy heart and shocking to all of us that we have to announce the passage of Dr. Eugene Chenette (N5YJ) a long term residence here at the Aspens in Allen, Tx and my dearest friend passed away on the eve of December 7, 2014.

As my friend and mentor too many, Gene has completed his earthly journey and may his soul rest in peace and have eternal life, so that we can all meet again.

He was a giant of man who never had an unkind word for anyway. He has left us all with a lesson in life that we can benefit from, just by knowing him.

He is survived by his wife Helen and his family, some of which live here in the Dallas area.

Services will be announced on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

Submitted: by W5AIM for the family of Eugene Chenette
John D. Cronin
December 7, 2014

 

My Condolences.




Eugene R. Chenette, N5YJ SK

SK December 7th, 2014

Eugene R. Chenette, Ph.D
July 14th, 1928 ~ December 7th, 2014

Dr. Eugene Richard Chenette of Allen, Texas died peacefully early Sunday, December 7, 2014 at the Medical Center of McKinney surrounded by loving family; his wife Helen, his daughter Karen and his "little sister" Mary Dohlman.

He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 63 years, 9 months, and 4 days, Helen Chenette, their daughter Karen Chenette, and four grandchildren, Gavin Wright of Gainesville Florida, Roy Schmidt of Colorado Springs Colorado, Luke and Alexandra Chenette of Plano, Texas, his brother Louis Chenette (Emily) of Indianapolis Indiana, his 'sisters' Mary Dohlman, Nancy Smith (Gary) and their Mom (his aunt Gertrude Ontjes) and a huge list of very loved nephews, nieces, cousins, 2nd cousins, first cousins once removed, etc.

He is preceded in death by his daughter Maria Chenette, his sister Louise Bogart (Howard), his mother Freda Chestnut and father Eugene D. Chenette.
He was born in Waverly, Iowa on July 14, 1928 to Eugene Dow Chenette and Freda Ontjes Chenette. He enjoyed his childhood in Charles City, Iowa. He graduated from Nashua, Iowa High School in 1946 and then attended Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He taught school in Stillwater, Minnesota where he, after being properly vetted by her uncle Lyman Kleinfelter and her mother Femicha, married Helen Marie Anderson.

He entered the US Air Force and was on active duty for four years during the Korean conflict. On leaving the Air Force, he entered the University of Minnesota where he completed Bachelor, Master and Ph.D degrees in electrical engineering. He taught electrical engineering for a time at the University of Minnesota, and was consultant to firms like Bell Labs, (etc.) then joined the Engineering faculty at the University of Florida in Gainesville where he became a Professor then Department Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Assoc. Dean of the College of Engineering. He also spent a couple of years at National Science Foundation.

In 1990, they moved to Niceville Florida / Eglin Air Force Base to teach in the University of Florida graduate engineering programs and where his research with Donald Snyder led to innovations in super high-speed photography and holography. They moved to Plano in 2001 to be closer to their new grandchildren, Luke and Alexandra.

His Ph.D. dissertation was on noise in junction transistors, an important contribution to understanding the physics of semiconductors. He was a pioneer, leader and innovator in the emerging field of transistors, integrated circuits and digital devices. He earned his first "ham" radio license in 1948 and avidly pursued this hobby for more than 65 years, most recently forming the Aspen Ham Shack with his ham friends.

In 1969, he and Dick Ehrhorn became friends and designed, manufactured and marketed the SIGNAL-ONE, a new "state of the art" multi-band transceiver and are considered by many to be the finest American made communications transceiver ever built. In the past few months he has excitedly mastered his new Flex Radio and related software. He was active in Kiwanis in Gainesville Florida, Niceville, Florida and the Dallas, Texas area. He loved the fellowship and the service and outreach and its mission of improving the world one child and one community at a time. He loved reaching out to young people and helping them learn; often stopping them on the street or while out with his family to dinner and teaching them about proper shoe knots. He was always very active in his church communities, improving them one or sometimes two at a time. In Gainesville he ran the radio broadcast and sound system for the Sunday services, and in Niceville and Plano he and Helen were lay Eucharistic ministers. Sensing a need, they founded Prime Timers at Christ Church Plano.

The family will receive friends at a visitation and viewing at Allen Family Funeral Options in Plano on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be at Christ Church Plano, 4550 Legacy Dr., Plano, Texas 75074 on Thursday December 11, 2014 at 11:30a.m. Committal will be at Dallas - Ft. Worth National Cemetery on December 17, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Retina Foundation of the Southwest http://retinafoundation.org/

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