Gene S. Nesbit Jr.

Gene S. Nesbit, Jr. passed away on July 19, 2023, a month short of his 82nd birthday. He was born in Evansville, Indiana on August 26, 1941.

Gene attended Evansville Central and Speedway High Schools, where he participated in Football, Wrestling, Basketball, and Track & Field.

After high school, he attended Normal College (Indiana Central) and Indiana University, studying Physical Education. He was a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity and represented them in the Little 500. He later earned his Masters in Educational Administration from Butler University.

Gene had a long and distinguished career as an educator in the Warren Township Schools. Over thirty-five years, he taught and coached thousands of students at Morehead Elementary, Woodview Junior High, and Warren Central High School. His fondest memories were the years at Woodview where he often said he could really see young people develop and mature. Gene coached football, wrestling, gymnastics, track and field and taught health and drivers education.

As the head wrestling coach at Warren Central, he had numerous individual state champions and his teams were always amongst the top in the state. In 1984 he was recognized as the Indiana Physical Education Teacher of the Year. Upon his retirement in 1999, he was inducted into the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame.

During retirement, Gene dedicated himself to building a log home on acreage in southern Indiana where he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Gene was most proud of his family. He married Deanna (nee Chiado) on August 1, 1970, and they had three sons. Gene put a priority on raising his children, stepping away from coaching while they went through high school – he never missed one of his childrens’ events.

He is preceded in death by parents Gene & Frances, brother Glen, and son Greg. He is survived by his loving wife of nearly 53 years, Deanna; sons, Gordon (Karrie) of Bloomington, IN and Grant (Katie) of Indianapolis, IN; and four grandchildren, Mack, Isaac, Wyatt, & Nora.

A Visitation will be held on Monday, July 24, from 11 am to 1 pm, with a Service following at 1 pm, at Flanner Buchanan – Oaklawn, 9700 Allisonville Road. A Private Burial will take place at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Gene’s honor to the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association or Luekemia & Lymphoma Society per his requests.