Gene William Bunde

Age 89 of St. Paul passed away peacefully at home on July 21, 2026.

Preceded in death by his parents, Alfred and Lillian; brother, Jack; and son, James.

He will be greatly missed by his beloved wife of 67 years, Darlene; sons, Steve (Julie), Dave (Heidi); daughter-in-law, Karen; and his grandchildren, Alisha (James) Benton, Alex Bunde, Ryan Kladar, Matthew and Hannah Bunde, and Morgan Bunde; great grandchildren, Avery and Madison; and many nieces, nephews, and other family and friends.

Gene grew up in St. Paul and attended Washington High School. He attended the University of Minnesota for 8 years attaining his Masters in Mechanical Engineering. He and Darlene were married on August 15,1959, and raised their three sons in Maplewood and Little Canada, MN. They enjoyed many family ski trips and summers boating at lake Villard in northwestern Minnesota. Gene worked at 3M as an engineer for 30 years in various management positions and locations until his retirement in 1998. You may have heard Gene's story about a piece of equipment they built that is still on the moon. After retiring, Gene and Dar built their dream house in Grant Township, where they lived until moving to Woodbury in 2024. Gene's passions included family, sports (softball, bocce ball, golf, and skiing), boating, rockets and propellants, farming and tractors, and general tinkering in his barn.

Gene received wonderful care while in hospice from loving wife Darlene, nurses and aides from St. Croix Hospice, and home care aides from Hallmark Home Care.

Private family interment Elmhurst cemetery.

Celebration of life will be held in September - watch for evites.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Gene's memory to the American Heart Association at https://www.heart.org.