Eugene “Gene” Michael Mushkin
Eugene “Gene” Michael Mushkin was born on February 16, 1921 in Harbin, China. He died on April 15, 2012 in Bellevue, WA.The youngest of six boys and one girl born to Patricia and Michael Mushkin, Mr. Mushkin was born during his family’s long journey from revolutionary St. Petersburg, Russia, to the United States. Mr. Mushkin grew up mostly in Seattle, spent a few years in San Francisco, and returned to the Cascade/Minor neighborhood. He graduated from Broadway High School, where he met the love of his life and future wife of 61 years, Pauline Melby. He briefly attended the University of Washington before serving his country as a First Lieutenant during WWII (Pacific Theater, Coast Artillery). After the war, Mr. Mushkin supported his family as a draftsman and a contractor while taking night classes at the University of Washington to gain the knowledge necessary to pass the Washington State Architects Exam. He joined The Boeing Company and retired in 1986, after more than 28 years with the firm. Even as his career at Boeing advanced, Mr. Mushkin maintained a successful private practice, designing condominiums at Ski Acres (Summit Central), the Wickersham Train Depot, the Gig Harbor Tennis Club facility and many other commercial buildings and private residences. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects. Besides his family, Gene loved tennis and fly fishing. He studied entomology so that he might tie the correct flies to lure the wily trout. If any fisher was catching fish that day Gene was; and if he was not catching fish, no one was. Mr. Mushkin was the last surviving member of the family that came from Russia, and was preceded in death by his wife. He is survived by his son Michael and his wife Kathy (Burien), son Steve (Mercer Island) and son Tim and his wife Kerry (Mercer Island) and daughter Claudia (Anchorage), six loving grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. A service of remembrance will be held at St. Monica’s Catholic Church, on Mercer Island at 12:30 PM, May 5th, 2012. A memorial gathering will take place at the Mercerwood Shore club, 4150 East Mercer Way, Mercer Island, at 1:30 PM on Saturday May 5th.The family would like memorials to be made to the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation (www.dbafoundation.org) or the Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org)Please sign the online guest book at www.tuellmckee.com
