Floyd Gene Siebein, Sr., the son of Emmett and Ada Lafary Siebein, died June 16, 2024, at Norton Brownsboro Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.
Gene was born July 18, 1939, in Ripley County on the family farm in New Marion, Indiana. He graduated from New Marion High School in 1957. He played basketball for the New Marion Panthers.
He married Veta Powell and together they had one son, Floyd Gene Siebein, Jr., known to his family as “Little Gene,” who was born May 13, 1958. Little Gene was a true blessing in Gene’s life. He was a good son who never missed a day in all 12 years of school and never caused a bit of trouble. His grandfather, Emmett, always referred to him as “Little Hoss.” Little Gene passed away from Leukemia on December 1, 1980.
Gene was born and raised on a farm. At 9 years old, he was walking behind the plow, working the fields. He worked on the farm every day helping his family. Farm life wasn’t easy, but the Siebein family didn’t know any different.
Gene was the only son out of 6 children. His five sisters did not make life easy on him, trying to dress him up and make him play girl things. His older sisters were Lorilla Mae Estell and Louise Estell. His younger sisters were Faye Lewis, Rita Jo Sizemore, and Kay Franklin.
Gene loved horses. He liked racehorses and trained many for people through the years. He loved to go fishing and going to auctions and flea markets.
Gene worked at the Shoe Factory for 41 years. He started at the age of 17 years old. Gene worked all over for the shoe factory, to name a few places: Osgood, Vevay, Madison, and Crothersville in Indiana, Chillicothe, Maysville, and Cincinnati in Ohio, and Falmouth and Prestonsburg in Kentucky. Gene said he was lucky to get to meet so many different people in all the places that he had worked.
In his retirement, he was offered a job at the local IGA store and was known as “The Colonel” because he looked like Colonel Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Gene was a member of the New Marion Baptist Church. He loved his family and spent many Sundays visiting with them. His family met at his mother’s house every Sunday, having dinner and enjoying each other’s company. After his mother passed away, the family moved their Sunday dinners to his sister, Rita Jo’s house.
Gene is survived by his sisters, Louise Estell, Rita Jo Sizemore, and Kay (Lowell) Franklin, his nephews and nieces, Sandy (Dave) Watts, Rita Mae (Sam) Stoneking, Reva Sue (Jeff) Lamping, Doug (Julie) Lane, Connie Adams, Candy (James Rork) Sizemore, Penny Sizemore, and David Franklin, and many great nephews and nieces.
Gene was preceded in death by his son, Little Gene, his father, Emmett, his mother, Ada, his sisters, Mae Estell and Faye Lewis, and four brothers-in-law, Joseph Estell, William Estell, Jim Lewis, and Johnny Sizemore, and nephew, George Adams.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 21 at 10:30 a.m. at the Stratton-Karsteter Funeral Home in Versailles with Johnnie Lohrum officiating. Burial will be in the New Marion Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Memorials may be given to the New Marion Cemetery in care of the funeral home.