Gene Ray Yamada passed away peacefully on Monday, August 5th, 2024 surrounded by his family. Gene was born on January 25, 1960 to Thomas and Marilyn (Scarrow) Yamada in Greeley, CO. He was the second of three boys.

Gene graduated from Highland High School in 1978. Later, he met Darla Jo Kipp and they were married on November 10th, 1984. Their family grew by 2 boys - Adam Dean and Justin Ray. Darla and Gene were married for 39 years.

In 2010, the family embarked on an adventure by moving to Kansas. There, they had new experiences and made lifelong friends. Although Gene started with Ford Motor Company in the early 1980’s, his new job at Olathe Ford is where he found his second family. Gene quickly became an integral part of the dealership and was your go-to-guy for his knowledge of every part number known to Ford. Literally, EVERY. PART.

Gene was a man of many passions - he loved cheering on the Broncos, spending time in the mountains, fishing on his boat, and most of all, he loved spending time with his grandchildren. He was an avid bowler, going on to achieve three perfect 300 score games. While Ford was his number one, his love of ALL cars was unmatched. Gene’s free time was spent going to car shows, drag races, car museums, NASCAR races, and rebuilding his MG.

Gene was preceded in death by his Mother, Marilyn Yamada. He is survived by his father, Thomas Yamada, his brothers, Thomas Jr and Ronnie Yamada, his children Adam (Stephanie) and Justin (Kayle); along with three grandchildren Arya, Callie (Adam) and Colten-Jaymes (Justin) as well as his previous wife Darla.

A Kansas Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, August 11, 2024 at the Olathe Ford Showroom from 3-5pm located at 1845 E Santa Fe St Olathe, KS. A Colorado Celebration of Life will be on August 24th from 10:30-1:00 at the Z Ranch Event Center located at 29251 County Road 53 Greeley, CO 80631.

In the last few months, Gene was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Cancer Society in memory of Gene. Thank you in advance for your donation in this fight against cancer.

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