EDWARD EUGENE MASTERTON, “Masty” to his family, was born May 20, 1931 in Chicago and passed away April 11, 2023. He was 91.
The only child of Beatrice and Byron Masterton, Gene graduated from Mount Carmel High School and DePaul University. Gene spent all his life in Chicagoland except for service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. During the War, he served as a transport logistics captain, working directly with his South Korean allies. He kept a picture taken in Korea of the the visiting Marilyn Monroe. Once back in Chicago, Gene enrolled at DePaul. He later worked as a manager of a housing development in Hammond, as an expediter for JM Foster & Co. in Gary, and, from 1984-2004, as Purchasing Manager and Animal Control Administrator for the City of Hammond. He served on the board of the local Salvation Army.
Gene was a die-hard Cubs and Bulls fan. He golfed an official hole- in-one June 8, 1997 at Sherwood Golf Club. He painted. He loved scratching lottery tickets and playing fantasy football. He was a devout Roman Catholic, most recently of St. Thomas More in Munster, where he preferred sitting in the last row. He was an able crossword puzzle enthusiast.
He is preceded in death by his loving wife, Patricia, and is survived by stepchildren John Moses (Barb) of Westfield, IN., Debbi Conti of Calumet City, and Patti Vosti (Curtis) of Kansas City; and many grandchildren, notably Jack and Amy Smith, of Hammond, who tended to his last months. Services are private. Memorials in his name may be made to Hammond Animal Control.
