WAYNE EUGENE “Gene” VILLINES

 September 27, 1945 – September 4, 2026 

“The hardest working man I ever knew” 

Gene Villines was born in Harrison Arkansas on Sept. 27, 1945, and passed away in Fresno Ca. on Sept. 4, 2026 after a 2 year battle with metastatic mesothelioma. His Father, Army PVT. Truman Wayne Villines had been killed in Germany on Aug. 19, 1945, 38 days before his birth, leaving his 16 yr. old mother Hazel Villines (Keeton) a widow.

 He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Christine Bonnie Villines. They raised 5 children together, Gene’s 2 girls, Carrie Jane Stockwell (Mark) of Fowler Ca, and Tessa Yvonne Villines (Calley) of Sutherlin Or. , and Bonnie’s 3 boys, James Douglas Bohanon of Fresno, Randall Blain Bohanon of Santa Clara, UT and Jason Wade Bohanon (Lorraine), of Pismo Beach Ca. 

Gene and Bonnie have 11 grandchildren. Christopher Bohanon of Easley SC, Mason Bohanon (Becka) of Port Orchard Wa., Dylan Bohanon of Fresno, Ryan Stockwell (Kayla) of Kingsburg, Amanda Bohanon Lenarth (Vincent) and Logan Bohanon of Pismo Beach, Malina, Sara, and Julia Bohanon of St. George UT, Molly Biery (Austin) of Sutherlin Or., and Morgan Allen of Stockton Ca. 

Eight great grandchilden are Ryleigh and Liam Bohanon of Port Orchard Wa., Daisy Bohanon of Easley, SC., Priscilla and Harper Stockwell of Kingsburg, and Rovene, Rhea, and Rene Biery of Sutherlin Or. 

Gene was brought to Livingston Ca as an infant by his mother and aunt, where his mother met and married Gene’s stepfather, a union that produced two sisters, Janie (deceased) and Vickie of Ivanhoe Ca. 

The family moved a lot, living in Richmond, Merced, Fresno, Visalia and Arkansas. Gene left Visalia for Arkansas at 14 to live with his paternal grandparents due to his mother’s failing mental health. In Sept. of 1963 he returned to Visalia Ca. and enlisted in the US Navy. He attended Navy electrician’s school, and served on aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, plus 2 repair ships, the USS Klondike and the USS Hector, in Long Beach and San Diego. During this time he married his first wife Nancy and had 2 children. 

Leaving the Navy with an honorable discharge in 1967, he returned to Visalia and began working as an electrician. He worked at the Exeter Hospital as maintenance supervisor for 2 years before joining the Calif. Highway Patrol in Dec. 1968. He served in the Santa Fe Springs Office for 3 ½ years. In 1971 he became a CHP motorcycle officer. Due to his youngest daughter’s asthma he transferred to the new CHP office in Coalinga Ca with the opening of I-5 in 1972. In 1975 he graduated from West Hills College. It was during this time that he bought and fixed his first rental property in Coalinga, acquiring 5 rentals in 4 years. 

Divorced and with sole custody of his youngest daughter, he took a sabbatical from the CHP and attended Fresno State Univ. for one year majoring in Political Science. Briefly returning to Coalinga, he did a lateral transfer as a Special Investigator to the State Dept. of Alcohol Beverage Control in Fresno in 1977. He then transferred to the Dept. of Labor Standard enforcement Fresno as a senior Special Investigator.

 In May 1978 he married Bonnie and took on a brand new family. 

Dissatisfied with working in state government, he pulled his retirement and became a Snap On Tool Distributor 79-83. In 83 while building his own home in Kingsburg he switched to Matco Tools eventually becoming a manager 85-88. Gene and Bonnie acquired their first rental property in 1983. In 1989 he built a 2nd home in Coalinga for his brother-in-law, and decided on a new career as a General Contractor, becoming licensed in 1990. 

Gene was self-employed as a general contractor from 1990 -2000, building houses in Kingsburg while also working as a metal framing contractor and drywall contractor for a major commercial builder in Fresno. He also continued to buy fixer uppers. In 2000 he became a Construction Superintendent for Don Pickett and Assoc., a commercial office-warehouse builder in Fresno and ended his period of selfemployment. Gene retired in 2007 to live on property that he purchased in Sutherlin Or. while also maintaining a home in Kingsburg. 

Gene and Bonnie enjoyed their travels: Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia, Rota, Mexico, Belize, Eastern Europe, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, a drive from Kingsburg to Homer Alaska and back, and 45 out of 50 states. He enjoyed snow skiing, fishing, boating, scuba diving and his classic 36 Ford. He loved cats, dogs, babies, old people, and gave a helping hand to anyone who needed it. Gene was loved and respected by all.