Amherst, Gene McIlvaine Koehler died peacefully Friday, May 29, 2015, at the New England Health Center in Sunderland, MA. She was anticipating her return to her beloved home at 54 Hills Road in Amherst, a home she had shared for over half a century with her husband, Stanley Koehler, who predeceased her on October 7, 2010. 

She was born in Pittsburgh, PA on February 15, 1925 to John Jamison and Geneva Montgomery McIlvaine. The daughter of a Presbyterian minister, she spent her childhood in New Castle, PA. She graduated from Muskingum College in New Concord, OH with a Bachelor of Arts in French. She was also a Master’s candidate at Columbia University in New York City. A teacher by profession, Gene taught at the Spence School for Girls in Manhattan for several years and was a teacher in the Amherst Regional Public School System for 24 years, where she taught fourth and fifth grade at Wildwood Elementary School as well as English at the Amherst Regional Junior High School. Gene had a knack for engaging the interest of middle school learners, capturing their imaginations and inspiring a love of learning with her passion for Greek mythology. She retired from teaching in 1994. 

Gene and Stan married on June 16, 1951 and settled in Amherst to raise their family. As devoted as they were to their home and neighborhood, they were also world travelers, having spent time together and with their family in Europe on multiple occasions, including a year in Kent, England, two separate years in Freiburg, Germany, and four months in Tolo, Greece. Wherever they traveled, Gene and Stan immersed themselves in the traditions and customs of that country, creating lifelong friendships and bonds that transcended language and culture. Lovers of antiquity, Gene and Stan shared their passion by conducting guided tours of the Peloponnese. Many of their friends and family members were beneficiaries of their extensive knowledge of and infectious enthusiasm for the language, art, culture, and history of ancient Greece. 

Gene was a member of the First Congregational Church in Amherst, MA since the early 1950s. A lover of literature and the arts, she had a fine intellect, a keen sense for the English language, an easy wit and sense of humor, an astute knowledge of history, and a passion for current events. Her interests aligned with her activities, as up until recently she remained active in her Bible study group, traveler’s group, and poetry group, and was a docent at the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies. A steadfast supporter of husband Stan’s poetry, she was his most ardent editor and critic as well as his most loyal reader. 

Gene was warm, kind, gracious, attentive, and ever hospitable to visitors and guests. She was a proud and devoted grandmother to thirteen grandchildren and two grandchildren by marriage. She will be long remembered by her family for not just her loving nature, but her gift for storytelling. 

In addition to her grandchildren, she is survived by her five children, Margaret DeGregorio, Raymond Koehler, Geneva Yelle, Jamison Koehler, and Mary Anne Brush and their spouses. 

Calling hours will be at the Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst on Friday, June 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. The service will be held at the First Congregational Church in Amherst, at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 6, followed by a reception at the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies. There will be a burial preceding the service at 9 a.m. at Wildwood Cemetery on Strong Street. 

Memorial gifts in honor of Gene may be made to the First Congregational Church, 165 Main Street, Amherst, MA 01002 or the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies, P.O. Box 2300, Amherst, MA 01004. Obituary and register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.