Eugene "Gene" Vanderhoof Francis

Gene V. Francis (The Farmer) - In life, we all assume a persona. A best version of ourselves that we want to present to the world. For Gene, that persona was the farmer, the steward, the guy on the line fence. He believed that every human must find their “place”, strive for their “family”, be a part of a “community”. I put those three words in quotes because for him, place, family and community were so traditional, and yet he understood the wider implications that go with those words. That we all have an obligation to the greater world.

Gene was known to be a great visitor. He suffered from the most common of Francis afflictions, the inability to leave blank space in a conversation. But if you wanted to talk, he was a great listener. His children found him to be a listening ear as they grew up, and the farmers he worked with found this to be true, also. He often told me that a large part of his job was to listen to his farmers because they were small business owners (small business couples, he would say), often without trusted confidants. You could talk business with your neighbors, but there is that tricky intersection where your family business collides with your family and this is where all of your worries, and all of your pride and self-worth, meet.

In the technology world of today we would call Gene an aggregator. He was a bee that hopped from farm to farm, bringing tidbits of information, and, in turn, receiving insight and wisdom from others. Steward is the right word - because he was very cautious not to expose the fears or goals of his farmers, yet he could extract an insight and pass it on.

Eugene (Gene) was born on a farm family in Vernon Center in Central Minnesota. His mother (Mary (Mae)) was from out East and was a lover of words. His father (Ken) was a Minnesotan and he was a kind sole who loved all people. He had two sisters (Dori, 9 years older) and (Irene, 7 years older) and their bond was strong all of their lives. Irene fell through the window on his birth day because Dori and Irene didn’t know their mother was pregnant and they were trying to figure out what was going on in the house.

Gene was born during the Great Depression. By the time he got old enough to understand the depression it was over, but the struggle his parents experienced molded his thoughts. He went to a vocational technical school that is now part of the University of Minnesota Ag Campus to try to learn to be a better farmer.

Two years later the Korean War took him to Fort Leonardwood, Missouri. If the Twin Cities was a small taste of a wider world, his time in the military was an introduction to cultures from all over the United States. He met a good friend from deep southern Indiana who had no gas money to get home to see his girl. He convinced Gene he should ride home with him one weekend for some home cooking and a double date. That trip would spawn a primary relationship that thrived for over 70 years. He met Pat McCarty (Patricia), they married, and their inseparability spawned the greatest of confusion because the two of them had three first names and because they did everything together people were always confused. Their children’s friends, and their grandchildren’s friends were forever befuddled - Pat, Gene and Francis. Who is the mom, who is the dad, is Francis the first name?

Gene and Pat were married on September 3, 1955, and returned to the Twin Cities where Gene received another degree, a B.A. in Agricultural Education and eventually he got his Masters Degree. He began his work with Adult Farm Management through the school system and eventually worked with Pat on his own. For over 50 years he worked with more than 200 farm families.

Once they settled in Blooming Prairie they had two children, Julie, who lives and works in Owatonna, and Scott, who is married to Dee Dee and they live in Prior Lake.

Gene and Pat, together (as always) were strong advocates for children with special needs all of their children’s lives. They worked through their church, camps, Special Olympics, and with other programs that exist in Southern Minnesota. They were great volunteers, at church, on the nursing home board, community clubs, on mission trips, and as guides in Mount Vernon National Park. And they were great advocates for the American Farm System, traveling to Eastern Block countries after the fall of the Cold War to promote understanding and information sharing with farmers in those countries.

Gene and Pat have three (five) grandchildren, Taylor (Jordan), Carter (Emily), and Ella. In their early life Gene performed his duties as a great listener to those grandkids, but he passed the inability to leave an empty space in the conversation on to all his family so that every family get-together was a chaotic symphony of point and counterpoint - laughter and joy.

Let us all take the lesson. Be a steward. Ask the probing questions. Find your “Family”. Extend your community to all.

In loving memory of Gene Francis (September 10, 1932 - April 26, 2025).

Instead of gifts, or flowers, the family would love for you to donate to one, or many, of these causes:

FFA (Future Farmers of America) - https://www.ffa.org/ways-to-give/

Northern Pines United Methodist Camp (which hosts camps for children with special needs) -https://www.northernpinescamp.org/donate

Camps that help children with special needs -https://www.veryspecialcamps.com/Minnesota/Special-Needs-Summer-Camps.shtml

The Nature Conservancy (tree planting initiative) -https://preserve.nature.org/page/168363/donate/1?en_txn1=p_b.dfa.fd.earth25.dtd.nbr.202504.X&supporter.appealCode=AHOMQ250401W1SXX01&en_txn8=NewSch.ADPCBG2504PDMZNZZD02Z02-NZUZZ-DGAQ&gclid=f202463d5ef01b6574ec2e33960abdf2&gclsrc=3p.ds&&msclkid=f202463d5ef01b6574ec2e33960abdf2s

Worlein-Hoff Funeral Home in Blooming Prairie is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com.