Eugene Anthony Contini

Eugene Anthony Contini went to the Lord on 13 June 2026 in Panama City, FL just shy of his 96th birthday. He was born in Dover, Ohio on 26 June 1930 to an Italian immigrant father, Casper, and a first generation American born of Italian descent mother, Josephine (nee Young). He was the youngest of seven children (Concepta, Daniel, Anthony, Ann, Dorothy, and Mary). He was known in Dover for his football skills being a star running back at St Joseph's Catholic high school.

He enlisted in the Navy in February 1947 and served as a corpsman until his honorable discharge in 1956. He was initially stationed at Whiting Field in the Florida panhandle. He played football on the base team and was an ambulance driver. He went to corpsman training at Greta Lakes Training Center and was assigned to sea duty on the USS Albany Cruiser for three years. He was then assigned to the Marines at Paris Island, SC where he met and married his wife Eulalia (Lil) Voltz from Turtle Creek, PA on 28 February 1953. They had their first three children while stationed at the Naval Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.

They moved to Tallahassee where Eugene entered the management training program at Neisner Brothers Department Stores. They had child number 4 in Tallahassee before transferring to south Florida where they lived in Margate and had the last child. They raised their family in Margate. Eugene left Neisners and had several sales jobs before becoming a carpenter. He was elected to the city council in 1967 and served two terms. He became a Mason and moved through the stations becoming the Master of the Pompano Lodge. He was also a 33rd degree Mason, Scottish Right, and Shriner.

They moved to Sebastian, FL in 1978 and opened the Sebastian Business Supply store. He and Lil ran that business successfully for 8 years, after which, they retired to a gentleman’s farm in Mountain City, TN. They moved back to Florida a few years later living along the Space Coast where they worked part time at souvenir stands on shuttle launch days. They enjoyed that immensely getting to witness nearly every launch. They did home crafting for several years, being regulars at local craft shows and flea markets. They moved to Columbia TN to be near their son Daniel and his family in 2004. They moved back to central FL in 2011 to be near their daughter Debra. While there, Lil passed away in 2015. He moved to Panama City in 2022 to be near his son Casey. He lived independently after Lil’s passing by driving himself to the gym, church, shopping, and appointments.

He leaves behind five children Eugene (jr), Debra Snedaker, JoMarie Cameron, Casey (Valerie), and Daniel (Sallie). Additionally, he leaves behind 13 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren (and counting). He will be interred at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell FL next to Lil, his wife of 62 years.