EUGENE C. BEST. Born October 7, 1927. Died Sept. 2, 2024. Best friend for 76 and husband for 51 years of Eileen Lambden. Brother of Sister Lois Best, S.N.D. Brother-in-law of Lucy Best. Preceded in death by Eileen; by parents Eugene and Frances; and siblings Marita (Bernard), Bill (Carol), Lou, and Bob (Pam). Proud and loving uncle of many nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren.

He was born in Collinwood. From Cathedral Latin high school he went to St. Gregory Minor Seminary, Cincinnati, then to St. Mary Seminary, Cleveland. Sent to study in Rome, he was ordained a priest there in 1952. After pastoral work at St. Joseph parish (Cuyahoga Falls), he was sent back to Rome to earn his Doctorate in Sacred Theology in 1956. After further pastoral work at St. William parish (Euclid), he was appointed professor of Fundamental Theology at St. Mary Seminary in 1957 and also taught at Ursuline College. In addition he was appointed director of radio and television for the diocese of Cleveland. He hosted a weekly WJW radio program, Commitment, and began the televising of Sunday Mass on WEWS.

Gene was the last living Clevelander who took part in Vatican Council II. Invited to Vatican Council II as a journalist, Archbishop Hoban charged him to "bring back to the Diocese the changes coming out of this Council." He won a national Gabriel award for best radio reporting on the Council.

In 1965 he was appointed director of the diocesan Newman Apostolate, with residence at Case Western Reserve University. While acting as Newman chaplain there, he also taught in its Religion Department, earned an M.A. in cultural anthropology, and served as vice president of the Catholic Broadcasters Association. His Newman predecessor at CWRU had been a key player at the Vatican Council; in his memory, Gene initiated the Archbishop Hallinan Chair of Catholic Studies and the Hallinan Student Center (now the Hillel Foundation) at CWRU, and the Newman Foundation Corporation.

Dispensed from his priestly obligations in 1971, he married Eileen, and they moved to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. At Marist College he taught in and was chairman of the Religious Studies department, and served as E.E.O.C./Affirmative Action officer. He was also president of the Dutchess County Interfaith Council, and an active member of the local Democratic Party.

With successive grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, he did post-doctoral studies at Columbia University, the University of California (Berkeley), and the University of Wisconsin. On a sabbatical grant from Marist he and Eileen were in the Philippines, Thailand, India, Nepal, and China where he observed and participated in the religions of Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism

Through the years Gene and Eileen traveled across the U.S., Europe, Egypt, the Holy Land, Greece, Turkey, the Mediterranean, Northern Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America. After retirement from Marist they returned to their Cleveland roots, to the Laurel Lake Retirement Community in Hudson, OH. There Gene was editor of the Volunteer Newsletter, and taught a variety of courses on biblical and theological topics. Declining health left him increasingly sedentary and reclusive, but he remained an avid emailer, reader and scholar, loving husband, supportive uncle and kind good friend to the end.

His daily and dying prayer was: "For all that has been, God, Thanks. And for all that will be, Yes!" He has been cremated. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm Saturday, September 28th, at the Laurel Lake Community Room. In lieu of flowers please make donations in his memory and honor to Notre Dame/Cathedral Latin school, the Notre Dame sisters, Marist College, or to the Laurel Lake Retirement Community.

Sisters of Notre Dame
13000 Auburn Road, Chardon OH 44024
Web: https://sndusa.org/donatechardon/

Notre Dame Cathedral Latin School
13000 Auburn Rd, Chardon OH 44024
Web: https://www.ndcl.org/donate.aspx

Marist College
3399 North Rd, Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Web: https://maristconnect.marist.edu/s/1516/GID2/17/giving.aspx?sid=1516&gid=2&pgid=391

Laurel Lake Retirement Community
200 Laurel Lake Dr, Hudson OH 44236
Web: https://www.laurellake.org/donations