Eugene "Gene" Keough

Eugene "Gene" Lomont Keough (Sharrar), 68, passed away July 2, 2025 after a 7-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Gene was born May 20, 1957, to Jack Paul & Shirley May (Thedick) Keough in Oakland, California. They divorced; Shirley remarried & Gene's family moved to Oregon around 1965. Where he attended Altamont Elementary & Klamath Union High School, class of 1975.

Gene started working at Weyerhaeuser in 1975. He married Lori Gallery in 1979 they had two children. They started a detailing business "Dr. Detail". He loved cars and making them beautiful. His real passion was inventing, he wanted to be like his grandfather, who invented some of the machinery at Weyerhaeuser. He had ideas to put lights in tennis shoes in the mid 1980s. Even submitted the idea to one of the TV ads, as to which he never got a reply. Then he started seeing them turn up in children's shoes in the early 1990s

He realized in the early 1990s he was not adopted by his 1st stepdad, he was known up until then as Gene Sharrar. He went back to his birth last name Keough at that point.

Gene & Alyse met up at the Klamath Kruise in June 1995. After 5 years together, they were married June 3rd, 2000. He raised her son as his own, from day one. They loved to travel to the sunny climates, travelled anywhere there was a beach. Puerta Vallerta, Cancun, Maui, Kauia, Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas & more.

Gene had more ideas for inventing, came up with the Enviro-Core, a toilet paper roll that dissolved in the toilet. This time he went through a local invention company. Had a preliminary patent. Unfortunately, the invention company went under & he lost rights to it. Now that invention is being used in Europe.

Third time is the charm. Gene was awarded 4 patents on his various designs of the Drill Paddle. Drill Paddle was also awarded a Trademark about 2 years ago. Around 2012 he started selling his homemade Drill Paddles on eBay, then moved up to Amazon. Drill Paddles have become so popular that now they need to be manufactured to keep up with the demand.

Gene loved tinkering in the garage, repairing stuff, building things. His dream came true when we purchased our current home and he was able to build his shop.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents, stepdad Cliff Turner, Grandparents John & Augusta Thedick.

Survived by his wife, Alyse (Barnum) Keough, Daughter April Keough, grandson Beau Brattain, Sons & Daughter in laws, Christopher & Tabitha Keough, Robert & Kate Barnum. Bonus kids Jake Graham, Jeremy Scrogham, Michelle Barns. Aunt-Betty Camner, Cousins- Emerald Lopez, Crystal MacDougal, and Isaac Camner. Stepsisters-Randi Eklund & Lynn Reyes. Best friend- Greg Stine. Father-in-law, TJ Barnum, Mother-in-Law, Andrea Anderson, Stepfather-in-law, Mike Baldwin. Not to mention so many wonderful friends he made over the years.

Celebration of Life will be on July 20, 2025 between 5-8pm. Located at the Whiskey Bent Saloon 617 Main St. Klamath Falls. All friends and & family please come & share memories with us.